Pay to Live, Free to Die
by ShadowHunter90
Summary: Daryl Dixon and his brother found her stuck in a tree surrounded by walkers. He never thought she would steal his heart and steal hers in turn. DarylxOC
1. A Dixon Welcome

**A/N:** Hello, thanks for taking the time to read this story! This is the first time in three years I have written anything, so i'm a bit rusty. So, here's "Pay to Live, Free to Die"!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own "The Walking Dead" or any of it's characters. I only own Sarah.

She has done a lot of running in her life, but nothing could prepare her for the amount of running she is doing now. Three of the undead chase her through the woods of Georgia, hungering for the flesh of the young woman running from them.

Alone, she has no one to help her with her current situation.

Being alone has its advantages, but has its disadvantages too. Being alone means no one would be watching your back, but being with someone could get you stabbed in the back. It's hard to trust someone in this new world where the law is non-existent and greed overrides morals.

The Apocalypse is a cruel time where your limits are tested and only the strongest of wills are allowed to survive. You have to be smart, careful, and willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive. The punishment for just one simple mistake could be death if one is not careful.

Having three of the undead after her with only a handgun as her only weapon is probably not the smartest choice. However, she is a fast runner and can outrun them. Although, not eating with little rest is taking its toll on the young woman.

"C'mon legs, don't fail me now." The long haired brunette could hear the groans of the dead grow closer as the muscles in her legs burn are ready to give out.

If her tired legs aren't enough, her lungs are begging for air from the endless amount of running she's been doing. After all the dead don't get tired, but they are slow compared to a living human.

She is too scared to use her gun in fear of drawing even more undead to her. As she runs, she looks around for options of escape. The only option she found is the many climbable trees that surround her.

Using what little strength is left in her legs, she dashes toward the nearest tree and scurries up its branches high enough that the undead can not reach her.

Finally able to catch her breath, she allows her lungs to receive all the air they need. Though the growls of the dead give the resting woman little relief as she now realizes there is no escape until the rotting corpses are distracted by something else.

"Well, at least they can't bite me."

Still, she wonders how long she will be stuck in the tree. Hungry and tired with no food and little water, she knows she won't last long. The only hope she has is that the dead would move on; allowing the living woman to roam the woods for safety once more.

As the young female sat in the tree with rotting hands below reaching up to her, she thought of her family. She wishes she never went on a road trip by herself across Georgia to explore her home state. Now she wonders what became of her parents, her three older brothers, and the rest of her family. She knows her father can hold his own, but fears for her kind, loving mother. She can only hope that her father will keep the mother of four safe.

She looks down and realizes that while she was lost in her thoughts, two more undead joined the other three. At this moment the young woman knows she will be stuck in the tree for a while.

By the time the sun has set, the tired runner knows that she will not be leaving the tree tonight. The moving corpses make no indication of leaving anytime soon and she prepares herself for a long sleepless night.

As she sits uncomfortably in the tree, she thought back to the time when she first saw the dead walking. She was sleeping in a cheap motel room when she woke up to the sound of a woman screaming. She remembers how she walked out of her room to investigate and the sight before her would change everything. Outside one of the motel rooms a few doors down from hers, a middle aged woman was laying on the ground screaming bloody murder as a scary unkempt looking man tore at her throat with his teeth, blood spurting on the poorly maintained pavement.

She would never forget those screams.

The tired woman feels a chill in the air run up her spine, making her shiver. It may feel like summer, but in the woods it feels cooler because of the shade of the trees.

The cool air, the bark of the tree digging into her body, her empty stomach, and the growls of the dead keeps her awake for the remainder of the night.

The first rays of the sun poke its light through the trees, making the woods look serene and beautiful. The groans of the dead however, ruin the peaceful feeling. Still, the hungry, tired hungry young woman block their demands for her flesh to appreciate the moment that not everything is dead and the world can still be beautiful in a time where it's forgotten.

The moment of appreciation passes and the noises of the dead reach her ears, reminding the woman of her predicament.

She did not want to die and she certainly did not want to die up in a tree surrounded by flesh eating corpses. The handgun on her hip has only three bullets; which is not enough to take down the five dead ones below her. Even if she did have enough, the noise would only attract more unwanted company.

A couple more hours pass, the sun high enough in the sky to give more light to the woods. With the sun, comes the heat and with only half a bottle of water left, the brunette knows she will be dehydrated if she can't get down the tree and find more.

Suddenly the female hears the snap of twigs and prays it's not another undead to join the others that have gathered under her.

"C'mon Darylina, I think ya got 'nough squirrels to feed those pathetic sumbitches back at camp."

The undead don't talk, fear and hope fills the woman's heart. The living can be even more dangerous, but with her current situation she will certainly die.

"Shut up, Merle. Ya hear that." Another man's voice joins the first man's voice in conversation.

A moment of silence passes before the first man talk again.

"Sounds like them geeks."

"We should take 'em out before they reach camp." The second man suggests.

"Who cares 'bout 'em? They don't do nothin' for us." the first one hollers.

"I don't want 'em gettin' any of the deer out here. I'm gettin' tired of eating squirrel. That 'nough reason?"

"Fair 'nough lil' brother. Let's take 'em out."

The bushes rustle from the direction of the two men's voices and the two men emerge out of them. One carries a crossbow and the other hold a large hunting knife. The young woman could tell from their accents and speech that they are certainly southern. Now that should could see them, she knows they're rednecks.

The man with the crossbow is wearing a sleeveless buttoned up shirt with tan cargo pants and boots. He has a few stringed up squirrels with him. The man with the hunting knife is dressed in a similar way, but darker clothing.

"Wowee, lookie here lil' brother!" The older brother spots the young woman in the tree. Not just a woman, but an attractive woman. Better looking than the ones back at camp.

"Holy shit." The crossbow wielder did not expect this when he went hunting today.

The young woman knows there's no way out of her situation. She could only hope that these men are good and will not take advantage of her.

"I'm sorry to ask this of two strangers, but could you please help me? I've been stuck up here since yesterday." She's scared, but her tone of voice is polite.

"Yesterday?" The hunter could not hide his surprise.

"Yes, they won't leave."

"Since ya asked politely." The older male smirks.

The two brother make quick work of the undead, their skills clearly are not to be underestimated. She is in awe on how quick they took down each one.

"Git down here sweetcheeks, coast is clear."

Her body stiff from lack of movement, she slowly climbs down the tree. The two men study her and she in turn does the same. She didn't know if the two men before her could be trusted, but they did just save her life. She decides to give them the benefit of the doubt and give them a chance.

"Thank you for saving me."

"You alone?" The man shifts his eyes around scanning the area.

"Yes, i'm alone." She decides to answer honestly. If she was with someone, she wouldn't have been stuck in a tree in the first place.

"Ya got a name, sweetcheeks?" His eyes roam over her body, liking what he sees.

"Sarah Brooks, but you can call me sweetcheeks since you're fond of the name." She hopes that her little joke would get the two brothers to see that she's harmless.

The knife wielder lets out a little laugh to her comment.

"I like 'er. Got a sence of humor, this one does. I'm Merle Dixon, an' this dumbass hee is my younger brother, Daryl."

"Shut up, Merle." The younger brother growls in frustration.

"We should take 'er back to the camp wit' us. Might make thangs more interestin'." Merle's eyes are drawn to Sarah's chest, while average, they are nice to look at.

"You have a camp? What are the people like?" Sarah's interest is piqued at what their camp is like. She hopes they're good people because she truly doesn't want to be alone anymore. She wants to have the comfort of people in her life again.

"Just some lazy cityfolk that dunno waht they're doin'." Merle snorts, clearly not liking the people he's staying with. For what reason Sarah is curious about, but won't ask.

"Merle, knock it off. That's not what she's askin'. Most of 'em are families, women, kids." Daryl could see that the woman before him is tired and probably hungry, but her politeness and honesty won him over a little.

"It would be nice not to be alone, especially what happened with those dead people."

"Ain't people, they're sumthin' else." Daryl shifts uncomfortably, not used to so much conversation unless it's his brother.

"They were people once, but now the only thing we can do is put them to rest." Sarah truly believes this with all her heart. She knows they're dangerous, but they were alive once before they turned.

Daryl stare at the brunette for a moment, letting her words sink in. They were once people like them. They didn't choose to hurt others. He forgot about that in his travels since this all began. He gives her a little nod in understanding.

"Is your camp safe?" Even if the people are good, safety is more important.

"Yeah, haven't seen any of 'em geeks around here until now." He points his crossbow down at the five rotting corpses at the base of the tree.

"Okay, will you please take me to your camp?" The thought of sleeping somewhere safe makes her eager to see what their campe is like.

"Yeah, dune with huntin' anyway."

"C'mon Darylina, let's take sweetcheeks home." Merle is clearly happy that they're bringing Sarah back with them. She's nice to look at and Merle likes looking at nice things, especially if they have a nice ass and a good pair of tits.

And so, the Dixon brothers lead the camp's newest member back to the camp. While not in their nature to save people that are not their blood; the fact that she didn't look down on them like a piece of trash make them more curious about her. Besides, Daryl could tell the woman walking behind them would have surely died had they not saved her and in the back of his mind, it wouldn't sit well with him if she did.

Sarah wonders what fate has in store for her. Little did she know, she's doing exactly what fate wanted.

 **A/N:** Please leave a review, the more I get, the more motivation i'll have to continue. Thanks for reading!


	2. The Quarry

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for following, favoring, and reviewing! It made me so happy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own "The Walking Dead or any of its characters. I only own Sarah.

~TWD~

When the trio arrives at the camp, Sarah is amazed by the variety of people. There are kids, adults young and old, and even whole families. She really hit the jackpot. Maybe she could find her place among these people and for once feel truly safe.

A man with dark brown curly hair approaches them and Sarah can tell by his posture that he is the man in charge. It makes her nervous knowing she might have to prove her worth first before she's allowed to stay.

"What's going on here? Who is she?" The man squints his eyes at the newest arrival, studying her.

"We found this pretty lil' lady in the woods gettin' cozy in a tree officer." Sarah could tell from Merle's tone that he has no respect for the man standing before her. But the man ignores his tone and focuses more on her.

"Is that right? Well, my name is Shane Walsh, i'm in charge here. Where's your group ma'am?"

"I never had a group, been alone since this all started."

The former sheriff's deputy can not believe that this woman has been alone since the dead began walking. She looks like she can't hold her own without some kind of assistance. He wonders how she managed to survive this long and it's a story he's eager to hear.

"How'd you stay alive all this time?"

"I was staying at a motel when all this started. I locked myself in my room, people left a lot of stuff behind that kept me alive. But as time passed, those things started to increase in number and I had to leave on foot. All the cars, including my own was taken. I never stayed in once place too long because no matter where I stayed, the dead showed up. I thought maybe the woods would be my best option. Guess I was right, since these two gentlemen found me and bought me here."

Shane would not describe the two brothers as 'gentlemen', more like a waste of human existance. If it were not for their hunting skills, the officer would have kicked out the two hicks a long time ago.

"That must have been rough, being alone this whole time."

"Yes, I miss being around people." She fails to mention to the officer that their group are the first living people she has come across, but she keeps this detail to herself.

Shane notices she has a gun resting in its holster on her hip and he looks at the two rednecks standing behind her; clearly disappointed that they didn't take her weapon before entering the camp.

"Why didn't you take her gun? What if she was dangerous?" Shane could not believe these two dumb hillbillies forgot to take her weapon. What if she was a threat? He can clearly see that she's not, but it's best not to take chances.

"They never asked for my gun and what would I gain from killing the men that saved my life?" Sarah had a feeling that if she didn't say anything quickly, an argument between the three men pumping with testosterone would start. She could already tell that Merle is not on friendly terms with the police officer, but she isn't sure about his brother.

Lucky for her, the two Dixons stay quiet and did not make a scene. They realize their mistake and own up to it with their silence instead of letting their tempers get the best of them which would normally be the case.

"Is it loaded?" Shane questions, looking down at the holstered gun.

"Yes, there are only three bullets left. I had to shoot a couple of those dead people just to stay in one place for short time."

"Do you even know how to use it?" Shane asks, skeptical about her skills with a gun.

"Yes, my dad and uncle taught me; gave me lessons and everything." Just thinking about her father and her uncle brings an ache to her heart. She misses them and hopes that they're okay along with the rest of her family and friends.

"You can stay, but you'll have to hand your gun over." While it means she would be one more mouth to feed, the police officer in Shane could not turn her away. It would be certain death for her.

"I can do that, the noise attracts too much attention anyways." Sarah reaches down and pulls the handgun out of its holster, takes the clip out, and hands them over. She is happy that she's able to stay; she wants to be around people again and she finally got her wish.

"Thank you, I didn't catch your name." He offers his hand to welcome her.

"Sarah Brooks." Shaking Shane's hand.

"Well Sarah, welcome to the quarry."

~TWD~

Throughout the day she introduces herself to all the campers. They are all nice and polite to her, welcoming her into their fold with open arms. She has seen so many faces, but a few stand out to her.

The first people Sarah talks to is the Grimes family, Lori and her son Carl. Lori, having seen Shane's treatment of Sarah when she first arrived apologizes for his behavior. She feels responsible because Shane is the best friend of her deceased husband. Carl seems to be a friendly boy, but that sparkle in his eyes tells Sarah that he's a troublemaker.

There's Dale Horvath, a kind old man sitting atop of his RV, making sure the campers are safe. Her first conversation with the elderly man gives her the impression that if she ever needs advice, he would offer it gladly.

There's also an asian with the name of Glenn Rhee, the go to guy when people need something from the city. If it can fit in his backpack, he will bring it back. Sarah knows she'll get along with him well.

Amy and Andrea are sisters that Dale found on the way to Atlanta. Their personalities are very different despite the fact that they're sisters. They mention to Sarah they're actually from Florida and were on a road trip together much like she was before the end of the world began.

Then there's the Peletier family, Carol, Ed, and their daughter Sophia. Carol seems a bit mousy while her daughter is too shy for her own good. Ed rubs Sarah the wrong way, so she decides to stay away from him until she learns more.

She found T-Dog and Jacqui to be nice too. Sarah isn't sure if they're a couple, but she feels they're close much like Shane, Lori, Carl are.

There are others she's met like the Morales family, Jim, and a few others Sarah hasn't put names to as there are so many people.

But out of all the people at the camp, Sarah feels the most drawn to the Dixon brothers. The two remind her so much of some of the people she knew before the end of modern society.

Sarah can see that their tents are more isolated from the others and she can pretty much guess why. Because they're outcasts, men that society look down on because they live differently from others with their own way of life.

It is because of those men that she stands here instead of a cowering in a tree, cold, hungry, and alone. She wants to repay them somehow, but she didn't know how.

"I'll figures out something." Sarah looks toward the isolated tents.

~TWD~

Her first day at the camp comes to a close; the people around her turning in for the night one by one. It dawns on Sarah that she has no tent, no where to sleep and rest her head. She never thought to ask, as she is overwhelmed by being around people for the first time in a while. She decides to sit by the fire until she figures out what to do.

A yawn escapes pass her lips as she stares at the flames. The events of today has made the caucasian brunette tired; the warmth of the flames makes her feel nice and cozy.

She just began dozing off when she feels someone's hand on her shoulder. She looks up to see Dale smiling down at her.

"You look tired, young lady." His voice oozes warmth and comfort of a loving grandfather.

"I am, I don't have a tent though." She confesses to the eldest member of the camp.

"Well, you can sleep in the RV until we can get you one. You can ask Glenn if he can get you a tent on his next run into the city." Dale suggests to the young woman.

"Really? You sure? I don't want to intrude." She questions.

"I won't be able to sleep, knowing you're out here."

"Is there room for me? I refuse to steal and elder's bed." While it won't sit well with Dale to have her out in the open, it won't sit well with her if she steals his only bed.

Dale laughs, Sarah's thoughtfulness touching and warming his heart like the fire she sits by .

"There is a cushioned bench, will that make you feel less guilty?" He hopes telling her this will persuade her.

"Yeah, that sounds better than sleeping on the ground outside." Sarah stands up and follows Dale into the RV, feeling safer once she is inside.

"Make yourself comfortable." Dale sits down at the small table.

"Hey, Dale? Can I ask you something?" Sarah sits on the bench Dale mentioned.

"Of course dear, what is it?"

"I want to do something to show my thanks to Daryl and Merle for saving me, but I don't know how." Sarah hopes that Dale will be able to offer her some good advice.

"You should stay away from them, they're a bit hot-headed." Dale looks at Sarah, his eyes full of concern.

"It doesn't matter, I would be dead if not for them. I want to do something nice." Sarah is determined to repay to two brothers for saving her and a Brooks always repay their debts.

"You have a good heart, Sarah. Those two are hard to read though."

"Yeah, I noticed today how they don't interact with anyone here. I haven't seen anyone talk to them other than Shane." Sarah finds this unusual since the brothers haven't done anything wrong other than being themselves.

"Well, I think Shane is the only one brave enough to talk to them."

"If everyone is uncomfortable with them being here, why let them stay?" Sarah has nothing against the two men, but she wants to understand their situation better.

"They hunt and share the meat with us. No one else here knows how to hunt." Dale supplies.

Sarah remembers that Daryl had some stringed up squirrels with him earlier when they first met. Having someone with hunting experience is a good reason to keep someone around, no matter how much people dislike them.

"I'll think of something, Dale. Don't worry about it." She smiles at the old man.

Dale gets up from his seat and goes to the back of the RV; returning moments later with a pillow and a blanket for her which Sarah accepts with thanks.

"Allow an old man to give you a piece of advice. Be very careful when around Merle, don't be alone with him. And Daryl, be sure not to upset him, his temper is worse than his brother's." Dale fears for the newest member of the camp, but knows nothing will change her mind about repaying the Dixons.

"Thank you, Dale. I'll take your advice to heart."

"Let's get some sleep, we'll talk more in the morning. Good night, Sarah." Dale goes to his bed in the back of the RV, retiring for the evening.

At the mention of sleep, Sarah yawns and lays down on the bench; covering herself with the blanket. It only takes a matter of moments for her to enter a dreamless sleep.

~TWD~

 **A/N:** What should Sarah do to repay our favorite Dixon brothers? Find out in the next chapter! Thanks for reading!


	3. Laundry Day

**A/N:** Thanks for reviewing, following and favoring! They keep me going!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own "The Walking Dead" or any of its characters. I only own Sarah.

~TWD~

Sarah can't remember the last time she felt feeling so awake and alive. It makes her realize that she was really missing out on sleep before arriving at the Atlanta camp. She forgot what a full night's sleep felt like until now.

She gets up and stretches out her arms above her head, more than ready to start the day. Unfortunately, her growling stomach reminds her that she needs to eat before doing anything productive.

"Need to eat first before I can earn my keep." Sarah steps out of the RV, the sun blinding her for a moment.

The smell of cooking food assault her nostrils, causing her stomach to protest further. She never got the chance to eat yesterday because she was so nervous being around people for the first time since the dead began walking that food was far from her mind. Now that she's more comfortable, food is the only thing she can think about.

Sarah sees Carol cooking what looks like to be meat in a frying pan over the fire and her mouth waters at the thought of having a cooked meal instead of beans from a can.

"You look hungry." Carol smiles at the newest arrival before focusing back to her cooking.

"Yes, I haven't eaten in three days." Sarah's stomach rumbles as if to confirm her statement.

"Oh my goodness, i'll give you a bigger serving than."

"Is that really fair to the others though?" Sarah feels because she had yet to contribute to the camp that she doesn't deserve it.

"The children get bigger servings too, I think we can make an exception for you today." Carol kindly begins scooping up Sarah's first meal of the day onto a plate.

"Okay, but only for today. I want the same serving as everyone else tomorrow." Sarah gives in, feeling she won't win the argument.

Carol hands Sarah a healthy serving a cooked meat. Sarah waits for her food to cool before taking a bite and pauses when she realizes what she's eating.

"Carol, is this squirrel meat?" Tasting the familiar meat in her mouth.

"Y-yes, you don't like it?" Carol asks nervously.

"I've had squirrel before, but you overcooked it. When you do that, the meat is tougher to chew." Sarah supplies.

"I didn't know that." Carol seems intrigued, curious to know a bit more on the subject.

"Even though it's tough to chew, it's still tasty." Sarah takes another bite of the chewy meat.

"What should I do to make it better?" Carol asks, wanting to do a better job.

"Don't cook it for long and it should turn out fine. You didn't do too bad, you could have burned it to a crisp but you didn't." Sarah can see that Carol appreciates her praise.

"How do you know this anyway?" Carol questions.

"My dad hunts and taught my mom and I how to cook it right." Sarah's eyes seem far away for a moment at the memory of her father teaching her the proper way to cook squirrel.

"Your father taught you?"

"Yes, when it comes to wild game, my dad know how to cook it best." Sarah says cheerfully.

With that, Sarah finishes her hefty meal of squirrel; chewing the last of the overcooked meat.

"Thanks Carol, I feel a lot better now that my stomach has food." Sarah pats her full stomach.

"You're welcome." Carol smiles.

"Now I just need something productive to do." Sarah says, not sure what she can do to help out the camp.

"If you're interested, the women are doing the laundry today."

"Laundry huh? Well, count me in." Happy to have something to do.

"You could collect some dirty clothes from the men. I'll wait for you when you're done." Carol continues cooking for the others with using her new knowledge on how to cook squirrel meat.

"Okay, thanks Carol. I'll leave you to your cooking"

Sarah gathers clothes from some of the men around the camp, noticing that no one checks to see if the Dixons have clothes that need a good washing. Sarah suspects they do, but that everyone is too afraid to ask.

"I'll go ask them." Sarah feels she can start paying them back for saving her by doing their laundry.

Sarah approaches the isolated tents, seeing Merle and Daryl sitting by their own small fire.

"Well, lookie here, lil' brother, it's sweetcheeks!" Merle's blue eyes oogle her body, but pays more attention to her average size breasts.

"Good morning, Merle. In a good mood today?" Sarah notices the older Dixon's leering stare, but ignores it knowing he won't try anything otherwise he would have tried something in the woods.

"When a woman comes to see ol' Merle, i'm always in a good mood." Merle wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

"You're funny, Merle. I never got the chance to thank you both for saving me and bringing me here."

"Right place, right time." Daryl won't even glance her way, inspecting his crossbow.

"Still, thank you both." Sarah says sincerely.

"So, there another reason yer up here?" Merle asks.

"Actually yes. I'm doing the laundry today and thought I would offer to wash yours."

"Ain't ya a peach? That include my stained undies too?" Merle grins.

"Merle, knock it off."

"It's alright, Daryl. Yes Merle, you're undies will be stain free by the time I am through with them." Sarah smiles, not minding the way he talks to her. She's been around men like Merle before so she's grown used to it. In fact, she finds the man's sense of humor funny.

Merle laughs, liking the woman more and more by the minute. She doesn't shy away when he makes sexual comments at her like the other women nor does she look at him with disgust.

"Darylina, go fetch the gal our clothes."

"I ain't touchin' yer shit Merle." Daryl growls.

"I'll gather them if you'll allow me in your tents." Sarah offers, not wanting the brothers to be fighting over something so trivial.

Daryl gets up and waves her over, leading her to his tent first. When they enter the tent, Sarah can see that his clothes are everywhere on the tent floor.

"Ya don't have to do this for us." Daryl rubs the back of his neck, the gesture showing he's either uncomfortable or embarrassed that a woman is in his tent.

"I want to, it's not fair that you guys don't get your clothes washed while everyone else does." She kneels down to pick up one piece of dirty clothing at a time and folds them over her arm.

"We're redneck trash, ya don't have to do this." Daryl repeats, not liking that a pretty woman like her would want to deal with their dirty laundry.

Sarah looks up at him, her eyes meeting his own blue ones.

"Daryl, there's no such thing as redneck trash. Right now, there's only the living at the dead."

Daryl stands in his tent in silence as she picks up his clothes. She takes advantage of his silence and continues talking.

"Would redneck trash save a woman trapped in a tree? Would they bring her to a place where she would feel safe? To me, you're just people like everyone else, Daryl. I've only been here for one day, but in my opinion you and your brother are good. The only way I could hate you is if you're a rapist or an abuser. You and your brother didn't do either of those things when you found me even when you had the opportunity to do so."

Daryl is quiet for a moment, not used to hearing people speak good things about his family. She makes some good points regarding the fact that they could've hurt her and yet she put her trust in them when she climbed down from that tree. He lets her words sink in before he speaks again.

"What 'bout a murderer?" Wondering why she never added it to her list of things she hates about people.

"The way the world is now, it can't be avoided. If it's for self-defense that's fine, but if you kill for the thrill of it then that's a different story." The world is a crueler place than before. Sarah knows this even if she has yet to be a victim of it since she hadn't run into people until she met the Dixons.

"Ain't gonna argue wit' that. Ya don't think the world will return to normal?" Daryl doesn't think the world will ever be the same, but is curious at what she thinks. Her way of thinking is similar to his and he likes that at least one person at the camp isn't a complete idiot, thinking they'll be rescued.

"The people that have survived so far have seen so much death; do you think they could return to a normal life? I'm realistic to that degree, but I have hope that we can rebuild. We have a clean slate and we should take advantage if it." Sarah speaks from the heart, believing that something good can come out of all this chaos.

"Never thought of it that way." Daryl stares down at her as the woman collects his clothes.

"I think instead of being judgemental of each other, we should be fighting the dead."

"Ain't that simple, woman." Daryl frowns.

"Nothing is simple, we just have to make the best of things and take it one step at a time." Sarah says, gathering the last piece of clothing.

Daryl gestures her to leave his tent, holding the entrance open for her like a gentleman.

"Yeah, I guess. I'll git my brother's clothes, don't think ya should go in there." Daryl puts an end to their depressing conversation, leaving his tent to go to Merle's.

Sarah waits outside, waiting for Daryl do return. After her conversation with Daryl, she can't understand why people think so badly of the two brothers. Though, she can understand that Merle's foul mouth will make people steer clear of him. So far she can't see any faults in Daryl, but she figures she'll find out as she spends more time with the group.

Daryl steps out of Merle's tent with a bag full of the older Dixon's clothes.

"Hope ya know what yer gettin' into. Bloody clothes ain't the easiest to wash."

"I've washed bloody clothes before so there's no problem. I'll bring back your clean clothes when i'm done." Taking the bag of clothes from the hunter.

Before Daryl can question her on the subject of bloody clothes, she leave the two Dixons to their own devices remembering that Carol is waiting for her.

~TWD~

Sarah is by the water with the other women cleaning clothes the old fashion way. Daryl wasn't kidding when he said their clothes were bloody. Not only are they bloody, but some of their shirts and pants have holes in them.

"Does anyone have a sewing kit? I want to sew these when i'm done washing them." Sarah says, scrubbing one of Daryl's blood stained shirts.

"Why are those clothes so bloody? They look too big to be yours." Lori says.

"They're not mine, they belong to the Dixons. They're probably bloody due to their hunting activities."

The women stop what they're doing and stare at the new arrival in shock.

"You're washing their clothes? Why?" Andrea can't stand the Dixons, particularly Merle Dixon.

"No one offered and that's rude."

"I'm surprised you came back in one piece." Lori comments.

"They'll not so bad if you give them a chance. They saved my life after all and didn't ask for anything in return." Sarah points out.

"That surprises me, Merle refuses to do anything unless he gets something out of it." Andrea says, remembering the time Merle offered to give her one of his beers if she slept with him as he was the only one with alcohol at the time.

"Well, i'm doing his laundry so I guess he does get something out of it." Sarah laughs, just now realizing the truth to what she just said.

"And Daryl?" Jacqui questions.

"Daryl is Daryl." Sarah doesn't know how to sum him up any other way.

"He's got a temper like his brother." Lori shakes her head. wringing out one of her son's shirts.

"I have yet to see that temper from them." And she speaks the truth, she had yet to see them truly angry. But Merle does like to pick on his little brother, she took notice of that.

"You haven't been here long enough to see how bad those two can be." Lori hisses.

"Maybe not, but I know that the food I ate this morning comes from their hunting adventures. They deserve respect for that." Sarah points out, scrubbing the last of the blood from the stubborn shirt.

"I hate to say it, but Sarah has a point." Amy takes the young woman's side.

"I agree." Carol nods.

"So, about that sewing kit?"

~TWD~

 **A/N:** So my goal for these preseason chapters is for Sarah to establish relationships with key members of the group. I have a vague idea on what to do next, but suggestions are welcome! Please review as it is great motivation for me, thanks for reading!


	4. Making Friends

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter took so long! To make up for the delay, I made this chapter a bit longer! Thank you all for favoring, following, and reviewing!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own "The Walking Dead" or any of its characters. I only own Sarah.

~TWD~

Sarah manages to not only get the blood stains out of Merle and Daryl's clothes, but she fixed all the holes with the sewing kit she borrowed from Carol since she packed all sorts of things in her car when the world as they knew it came to an end. She folds the clothes into neat piles, even though she knows they'll probably be thrown randomly on the floor in their tents.

"That should do it, those stains took forever to get out." Sarah puts the folded clothes in a laundry basket for clean clothes and walks over to the Dixon's camp with them in hand.

"Laundry delivery!" She hollers cheerfully, setting the basket down by their tents.

Daryl steps out of his tent, giving her a nod in greeting. Merle is nowhere to be seen but Sarah doesn't question his absence.

"That took ya a while."

"Yeah, those blood stains were stubborn." She says, looking down at her handiwork folded neatly in the laundry basket.

Daryl picks up one of his sleeveless shirts and inspects it, looking up at the woman after noticing her minor adjustments.

"Ya fixed the holes in my clothes?" While his expression remains the same, secretly he is touched at the caring gesture. Not even his own mother would stitch up his clothes when he was younger since they were hand me downs from Merle. The woman was too busy drinking to give a shit anyways.

"Merle's too, though yours were a lot worse. You should have seen Merle's socks, I couldn't salvage them." Sarah hopes the older Dixon won't get upset over his lack of socks.

"Can't believe ya got the stains out." Thumbing the clean fabric.

"It's not the first time i've had to clean bloody clothes and the way things are looking, it won't be the last." Sarah laughs.

"Ya mentioned that earlier, I was gonna ask 'bout it."

"My family hunts, so they always returned with their clothes covered in blood and guts. Mom was not a fan of cleaning them , so I did it instead." Remembering the times her brothers would return from their trip in the woods with blood on the front of their clothes from cutting up their latest catch of deer or rabbit.

Daryl is intrigued that she comes from a family of hunters. Everyone at the camp was from the city or the suburbs and not one person knows anything about hunting other than Merle and himself.

"Did ya hunt too?" Daryl asks, curious.

"No, my dad babied me since i'm his only little girl. He and my uncle taught me how to shoot handguns though. I always wanted to learn how to shoot a rifle, but dad wouldn't let me."

Daryl finds it a little disappointing regarding that she doesn't know how to hunt but thinks teaching the women how to shoot isn't a bad idea and learning how to shoot more than one type of gun would improve their chances of survival.

"While I don't hunt, I do know how to make snares. Dad knew I wanted to contribute to hunting other than cooking so he taught me how to make snares for him and the others."

"Not a bad idea actually, would save ammo." Daryl won't admit that he has lost some bolts from some of his hunting expeditions.

"I think my cousin knew I wanted to help out more too, because he taught me how to fish. It's one of my favorite pastimes." Sarah adds.

"So ya hunt a different kind of prey. That's a useful skill to have , the old man has fishing gear I think." He remembers the blonde sisters being interested in the old man's fishing gear he had with him.

"You mean Dale? I feel like i'm pushing my luck with him already." Sarah frowns.

"Whatcha mean?"

"He offered me a place to sleep in his RV since I don't have a tent. I don't want to take advantage of him and use his fishing gear too." She sighs.

"Ya should git a tent then." Daryl suggests.

"Dale told me that I should talk to Glenn about that." Remembering Dale's recommendation.

"Yeah, Chinaman is the only one that goes to the city. That kid's got balls doin' that." Daryl had to give the kid credit. No one else is willing to go into the city but him.

"I feel bad asking him to risk his life just so I can have my own place to sleep, but I don't want to overstay my welcome."

"I don't think the old man is gonna kick ya out." He knows the old man is too soft to do something so cruel.

"He's a kind man, but he deserves his space."

"Then yer gonna have to ask Chinaman to go into the city."

"I guess so, i'll do that right now. Let Merle know that his undies are nice and clean. See you later." Sarah walks off, Daryl wearing an expression of amusement at her departing comment.

~TWD~

It didn't take Sarah long to spot Glenn. His washed out red baseball cap makes him stand out from the others.

"Glenn, just the man I want to see." Sarah walks up to the young Asian.

"Sarah right? Do you need something?" Glenn questions, taking off his baseball cap to wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead.

" Well, I need your help."

" How can I help?" Curious at what the newcomer had to say.

"I'm not sure if you're aware, but I don't have a tent. Because of that, Dale has kindly offered allowed me to sleep in his RV. I don't want to impose on him any longer, so i'm wondering if you could browse around for a tent the next time you go into the city." Explaining her case.

"Yeah, I can do that, but there's a problem."

"A problem?" Sarah tilts her head in confusion.

"A folded up tent would take up too much space in my backpack and need my backpack to carry food; canned food takes up space fast."

"What if I went with you?" Sarah suggests.

"No way, I always go on my own so I don't draw any unwanted attention." Glenn knows the smaller the group, the smaller the risk.

"Please Glenn, i'm quick on my feet and quiet. You'll only need to take me with you once." Sarah pleads.

"I dunno, it's dangerous." Glenn's resolve wavers.

"Think of it this way, you can bring back twice as much stuff if you take me with you." Sarah hopes Glenn will see the logic to what she's saying.

"You have a point, let me think about it and i'll give you my decision at dinner." Glenn sighs, giving in.

"Deal, thanks Glenn." She says feeling victorious as she pats him on the shoulder.

~TWD~

It's getting close to dinnertime and Sarah had yet to hear from Glenn. She didn't like the idea of going into the city alone just to get a tent, but it's an option she'll have to consider if Glenn says no. Dale deserves privacy and with a tight knit group of people, that's nearly impossible.

Sarah is sitting by the main campfire when she hears someone sit next to her. She looks up and is greeted by a pair of familiar blue eyes.

"Ya talk to Chinaman yet?" Daryl had been wondering all day how the new woman's conversation with the Asian kid went. He doesn't know why he cares, but perhaps it's because she doesn't annoy him like everyone else.

"Yeah, Glenn said it might not be possible so I offered to join him on his next adventure into the city." She supplies the younger Dixon.

"What? Do ya have a death wish?" That place is crawlin' with geeks." Daryl doesn't like the thought of Sarah going into the city. He bets Merle won't like it neither because Daryl senses that Merle is fond of her even if he won't admit it if you asked.

"I know, but I told him I would join him one time only."

"Yer crazy, lady." He shakes his head.

"You know what's crazy? Going into the city by myself." Sarah teases the hunter.

Daryl glares at her, finding the idea absurd and reckless.

"Now yer just stupid." Daryl growls at her words.

"Well, hopefully it won't come to that and Glenn will let me go with him." Sarah hopes this will be the case.

"When do ya get his answer?" He asks, attempting to calm himself down.

"He said he would tell me by dinner." Sarah stares into the fire.

"Ain't long from now."

"Yeah, I hope his sees my logic. I could bring back more supplies so he won't have to make another trip for a while."

"Look, if he says no, i'll take ya." Daryl decides, figuring if she's going to head to the city no matter what the outcome of Glenn's decision is, it's best for her to not go alone.

"What? No, you're needed here." Sarah will not risk Daryl's life even though she knows he's capable of taking care of himself.

"I owe ya for dealin' with our clothes. I won't take no for an answer." The Dixons don't like owing people, but they will return the favor even if that person did it out of the goodness of their hearts. If the man is honest with himself, he didn't like the thought of her going to the city alone, she's the only person he's okay with and he finds that comforting and a welcoming break from his older brother.

"I did that because I wanted to and because you and your brother saved my life."

Daryl had nothing to say to that.

"I'll let you know what he decides, okay?" Touched at his concern for her.

Daryl could only nod or his temper would get the best of him. He didn't want to scare her away when she's been nothing but nice to him and Merle.

"Okay, i'll talk to you later then. Thanks for worrying about me." She says, getting up from her spot by the fire.

~TWD~

Later at dinner Glenn found her eating another healthy serving of squirrel. Glenn sits next to her with his own meal.

"So, I thought about what you said." Glenn picks at his food with his fork.

"And?" Sarah's eyes brighten with interest.

"I'll let you come, but i'll have to talk to Shane first." Glenn gives into her request after thinking about it. He's always gone to the city alone, maybe having someone along for the ride isn't such a bad idea for a change even if the risks are higher.

"I'd like to join you when that conversation happens." Taking a bite of her meal.

"Yeah, would be a good idea for you to plead your case." Glenn knows Shane won't just let anyone go to the city.

"How about we talk to him after we finish eating? I want to get a tent as soon as possible."

"Shane asked me this morning to go on a run tomorrow so it's best you talk to him before then."

"Then after eating it is." Suddenly the food tastes better along with Sarah's mood.

~TWD~

Soon after dinner, Sarah and Glenn approach Shane as he talks to Lori. Sarah is a little nervous being in Shane's presence. She's come so far already, she'd hate to have Shane ruin it all.

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but we need a word with you Shane."

"No trouble, I need to get Carl to bed anyway." Lori leaves the three to talk so she can tend to her son.

"So how are you liking things here, Sarah? I haven't had the chance to check in on you." Shane offers a friendly smile to the woman.

"I like it here, the people have been nothing but kind to me. However, there is something I want to discuss with you."

"Let's hear it." Shane is all ears.

"I need my own tent. I'm grateful that Dale lets me stay in his RV, but I feel like i'm intruding."

"Glenn, you can get her a tent can you?" Shane directs his question at the young Asian.

"That would mean bringing less food and other supplies back. A folded up tent would take a bit of space in my backpack." Glenn explains, a little nervous.

"So, what's the solution?" Shane had his hands resting on his hips.

"I offered to go with him." Sarah tells him.

"What? Glenn has always gone by himself." Shane has tried to convince Glenn to take other before with little success. He gave up when he saw that Glenn's way of doing things worked out for everyone in the end.

Glenn decides he's going to leave the talking to Sarah at this point. Besides, Shane intimidates him anyway.

"Just hear me out, Shane. If I go with Glenn, not only do I get myself a tent, but I can bring back more supplies that would have taken Glenn two trips."

Shane ponders her words carefully. If he let her go into the city and she died, it would be on his conscience because he let her go. She could also get Glenn hurt or worse and Shane didn't want the camp's only runner out of commission .

"I'll let you go under one condition." Shane looks her right in the eyes.

"Name it." She says, eager to hear that he had to say.

"You listen to everything Glenn says while you're in the city." Shane figures she's the kind of woman that will listen to others if their lives are in the balance so he'll take the risk and let her go.

"I can do that, no problem." Sarah is relieved that Shane had finally given her the green light to go with Glenn on his run into the city tomorrow.

"Then you two better get some sleep, you'll be going tomorrow." Shane informs the two.

"Thanks Shane, we'll do our best, right Glenn?"

"Yeah." Glenn hopes that things work out on the supply run tomorrow with his new partner in crime.

"Good night to both of you." Shane goes in the direction Lori went leaving the camp's runner and the newest arrival alone.

"I'll see you in the morning, Sarah." Glenn yawns, heading toward his tent.

"Good night, Glenn." Sarah smiles.

~TWD~

Sarah heads toward the RV, tired from the day's events. She knows she needs to get lots of sleep in order to be alert in the city tomorrow. Before she can enter the RV, a human shaped shadow is leaning against the RV by the door. As she gets closer, Daryl's face comes into view and she is relieved that he's not one of the dead.

"Daryl, what are you doing over here?" Sarah approaches the hunter.

"Came to see how things went with Chinaman, so what's the verdict?" Referring the her conversation with Glenn and Shane as he was watching them from a distance.

"Shane said I can go into the city with Glenn tomorrow." She answers, her expression confirming her delight with the outcome.

"Come over to my tent." Daryl begins to walk away from the RV.

"Huh?" Sarah says, confused.

"Woman, don't make me repeat myself." Daryl growls, going over to his tent.

Sarah reluctantly follows the hunter, not knowing what's going on in his head. Merle is sitting in a lawn chair by the fire silently acknowledging her since other people are sleeping. Even Merle had some matters.

"Wait here." Daryl goes inside his tent and comes out a couple moments later.

"If yer goin' into the city, yer gonna need protection." Daryl holds out a large hunting knife.

"For me?" Sarah is surprised.

" Sweetcheeks, ya better take it 'fore Darylina changes his mind." Merle says.

"Are you sure you're willing to part with this?" She hesitantly takes the knife from him.

"I expect it back." He watches her unsheathe it halfway, seeing it freshly sharpened.

"I'll take good care of it." She holds the now sheathed against her chest.

What Sarah doesn't know is that the knife Daryl had given her is his best knife. Even though it's only been a couple of days since she arrived at the camp, the Dixon brothers are fond of her due to her positive attitude towards them. She's the only one that's willing to talk to them at a humane level and not treat them like a piece of discarded trash.

"Don't die out there or i'll have to find a new fine ass to stare at."

"Merle." Daryl growls, warning his older brother to knock it off.

"I'll make sure my ass stays in one piece." Sarah says, not offended by Merle's comment. She knows what he's really trying to say. He's trying to tell her to be careful and she appreciates it.

"Atta girl, now git outta here." Merle waves his hands in a shooing motion.

"Good night you two, thanks for the knife Daryl." She gives him a warm smile, silently thanking him for showing his concern by giving her the knife before leaving the two Dixons behind to prepare herself for a good night's sleep.

~TWD~

 **A/N:** Please, please, please review! Thanks for reading!


	5. A Trip into the City

**A/N:** Thanks for favoring, following, and reviewing! The reviews made me so happy and I hope to hear more from you all! This chapter was fun to write and that's why it took so long. So here's an extra long chapter for you happy readers!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own "The Walking Dead" or any of its characters. I only own Sarah.

~TWD~

Sarah wakes up early in the morning, having gone to bed in the early evening last night. She steps out of the RV and breathes in the fresh cool air knowing that when the sun rises higher, the heat will rise with it.

Not many people are up at this hour, so she takes it upon herself to wander around for a little bit. She looks up and gives a friendly wave to Dale who sits in a lawn chair atop of the RV. She spots Daryl sharpening one of his hunting knives and she didn't find it surprising to see him up in the early hours of the morning. In her experience, most men that hunt are early risers as her father and her brothers are the same way.

"Morning, Daryl." Sarah greets the huntsman quietly so she doesn't wake the sleeping campers.

"Yer up early."

"Yeah, I went to bed after talking to you last night. What are you doing?" Watching him sharpen one of his knives with practiced skill.

"What does it look like i'm doin'? Where's yer knife?" Looking at her hip where the knife should be.

"I left it in the RV." Sarah didn't think she needs the knife since Dale is on watch on the RV and would be able to spot one of the dead if there is one nearby.

"Ya think I gave it to ya for decoration? Go git it woman!" Daryl points his freshly sharpened blade in her direction with anger in his eyes, scaring her a little.

Sarah hurries to the RV and grabs her newest weapon. She stands there for a minute with her thoughts, knife in hand.

She didn't mean to upset Daryl with her lack of a weapon. It's the first time he's been angry with her, but her lack of common sense is the cause of that anger so she can't fault him for it.

She steps out of the RV and walks back to Daryl with the knife in her grasp. Daryl looks up at her with an expression she had not seen on his face before. His eyes show regret when he looks at her but she didn't know why. Maybe he feels bad for yelling at her but she knows she deserves it for not thinking.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking." She says, holding the sheathed knife.

"It's fine." Daryl says in an unusual quiet tone.

"Yeah." She quietly replies.

Daryl quietly sharpens his collection of knives, not glancing in her direction out of guilt for scaring her. Dixons don't apologize but he could at least admit he was wrong to do so. For now, just her coming back to him is enough to give him hope that she's forgiven him.

"I have a confession I need to make." Sarah breaks the uncomfortable silence.

"What?" Daryl looks at her, puzzled.

"I've never used a knife on the dead before." She admits, she's been too scared to get even close to the dead which is why she opted to stay hidden and only used her gun when she was left no other choice.

"How the hell have ya survived all this time?" He tries to keep his voice calm so not to scare her again.

"I had my gun, remember? I only used it when I had no other option though."

"Least yer smart enough to use yer gun as a last resort." Daryl scoffs.

"You don't have to be mean." Sarah pouts.

"Do ya even know how to hold a knife?"

"I can, it's just th-"

"Just what?" Daryl interrupts her.

"I'm scared." Sarah looks down at the ground, staring at her shoes.

"If ya want to live, yer gonna use that knife." He understands, but he knows she had to learn how to survive.

"I do want to live, Daryl, but they still scare me. Even so, i'll try my best."

"Now 'nough of that, git that knife on yer hip."

"Yes sir." Sarah mocks salutes before attaching the blade to her belt.

"Better." Daryl nods in approval.

"Speaking of weapons, you think Shane will give me my gun back?" Sarah would feel better if she had her gun back.

"Dunno, he might if ya ask." He's not sure since Glenn goes into the city without one or so Daryl has noticed on Glenn's previous trips.

"I haven't seen him yet this morning so he's probably sleeping." Sarah guesses.

"I wouldn't git too hopeful though."

"Why?" Sarah didn't see why it would be a problem.

"We don't have much ammo to spare." They rarely use guns at camp, only Dale is allowed to carry for watch purposes.

"Just enough ammo to fully load my gun should be good. I'm sure he can spare that much." Sarah hopes so, or she'd feel less safe going into the city.

"In that case, he might." Though Daryl doubts it. Shane doesn't part with ammo easily.

"I'll ask him when I see him."

"When are ya and Chinaman leavin'?" Daryl asks.

"I'm not sure, probably after we eat breakfast." Sarah isn't actually sure since it was never discussed.

"Since Chinaman hasn't died yet from all those supply runs, ya should be fine if ya stick with him." Daryl knows luck isn't enough to keep someone alive, but Glenn has done well so far.

"You're right, I survived the same way before coming here."

"Oh?"

"Glenn strikes me as the type of guy that stays out of sight and keeps quiet like I do." Though she knows she'll never increase her knife skills if she keeps it that way.

"Just keep yer guard up when yer there." Daryl is secretly fond of the woman and would hate to see her die just when he is starting to like her.

"I will, Daryl. If I die, how else will I return your hunting knife?" Sarah teases, her hand on the hilt of the said knife.

"Atta gurl, now yer thinkin'." Deciding to tease the woman himself.

"I'm going to shut up now."

Daryl chuckles, accepting the small victory as Sarah stomps away.

~TWD~

A couple hours later, the camp begins to become less quiet as the people wake up to start the day. Everyone settles in a circle, eating squirrel that is much easier to chew. Sarah figures Carol took her advice to heart.

Glenn sits next to her, discussing the plans for today.

"I need to make an inventory list before we leave. Do you think you could ask the women if they need anything? They'll feel more comfortable telling you." He feels uncomfortable every time he has to ask and since Sarah is a woman it would take the burden off his shoulders.

"Yeah, I can do that. Do you have a notebook and a pen I could borrow?"

""I can give you those after we eat." Motioning to his tent where he keeps the mentioned supplies.

"Awesome." Sarah takes another bite of her meal.

"One more thing."

"What is it, Glenn?" She looks from her breakfast over to the young Asian.

"Can you also ask Daryl and Merle if they need anything?" Glenn asks, a little hesitant.

"Sure." Sarah can understand Glenn's discomfort so she didn't argue and agrees to his request.

~TWD~

After eating, Sarah begins taking inventory requests from all the women around camp. She finds it amazing at the items the women are requesting. Lotions, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, toilet paper, feminine products, and even nail polish are among the many things women want. It comes to Sarah's attention that she hadn't bathed in many days and maybe she could snatch a bottle of shampoo, conditioner, and soap for herself while she's out there with Glenn.

Next she needs to ask the Dixon brothers if they require anything. Since they strike her as both being survivalists, she doubts they'll need much. Still, it would be rude to leave them out just because of that assumption.

"Hey boys." She approaches the two men.

"Now ain't ya lookin' fine with that huntin' knife on ya." Merle checks her out.

"Well, if I look fine to you, I guess I don't need a bath because I was just reminded that I hadn't taken one in days."

"I kinda wanna see what ya look like without all that dirt, Sweetcheeks. Better yet, I wanna see ya without clothes." Merle's eyebrows wiggle suggestively causing Sarah to laugh.

"You're funny, Merle. Anyway, I wanted to ask if you two need anything from the city."

"If ya see any weapons, grab 'em. Guns, knives, and any ammo ya can find." Daryl says, feeling it only makes sense to look for more means of protection and Glenn never brings anything of that kind back, only food and unnecessary things that won't help with survival.

"Beer and some smokes, any kind will do. Oh yeah, and socks since ya kindly got rid of most of mine." Merle pitches in.

"Those socks were beyond repair and you know it. So, beer, cigarettes, socks, and weapons, is that it?" Sarah asks, writing down the requested items on the list.

"One more thing, Sweetcheeks."

"And that is?" Wondering what else they need.

"Yer ass, git yer ass back in one piece." Merle demands, Daryl nodding in agreement.

"So, beer, cigarettes, socks, weapons, and my ass?" Sarah looks at the older Dixon questionably.

"Ya got it, Sweetcheeks." Merle laughs.

"I'll see what I can do, but my ass is a guarantee for returning so you'll be staring at it soon enough when i'm not looking."

"Atta gurl, now off with ya." Merle playfully shoos her away.

~TWD~

With a list of requested items in hand, Sarah meets up with Glenn.

"They ladies have given me their requests and the list is long."

"Thanks for doing that, what about Merle and Daryl?" Taking the list from her to look it over.

"I got that covered too." Sarah smiles, remembering the funny conversation with Merle.

"They like you, you know." Glenn says, giving back the list.

"Merle and Daryl?" Mentioning the two rednecks.

"Yeah, it's weird."

"How so?" Sarah asks, curious.

"Well, they don't look out for us the way they look out for you." Glenn is sure he's not the only one that notices this.

"Don't they bring back fresh meat for the camp? I think that would count as looking out for people." Sarah brings up how they're getting their source of meat.

"I know they do, but they treat you differently from the rest of us." Glenn had taken notice on how Daryl secretly looks out for Sarah and Merle seems at ease with her.

"They do?" If it's true, she wonders why that is.

"Have you seen them hang out with anyone else besides you?"

Sarah thought about it for a moment and realizes Glenn speaks the truth. She had not seen them talk to anyone else since she arrived.

"Merle makes me laugh and Daryl gives me good advice when it comes to survival."

"Well, it's better to be on their good side then their bad side." Glenn shivers at the thought of being on their bad side. It's bad enough that Merle targets him simply just for being Asian.

"It's good to be on anyone's good side." Sarah replies, remembering Daryl's little outburst from this morning.

"Good point." Glenn agrees, especially with the way the world is now.

"So, are we leaving soon?" Getting back on the subject.

"Yeah, we'll leave shortly."

"Before we do that, can I ask Shane if he'll give my gun back along with some ammo?" Sarah didn't want to leave without it.

"I never carry a gun when I go to Atlanta." He informs her as the noise is just an invitation for trouble.

"I'll only use it as a last resort. Better to be safe than sorry."

"Okay, i'll wait for you. We'll leave as soon as you're done." Glenn leaves to double check that he had everything they need for the supply run while she looks for Shane.

~TWD~

Sarah found Shane rather quickly noticing that if she needs to find him, she only need to find Lori or Carl since he isn't far from neither one.

"Hey Shane, think I can have my gun back?" Sarah hollers as she nears the officer.

"I don't mind, but what about ammo?" Remembering that her gun didn't have many bullets.

"Do you think you could spare enough to have my gun loaded at full capacity?" Sarah pleads, clapping her hands together almost as if in prayer.

"Normally I would say no, but I would feel better if you go prepared. Glenn doesn't carry a gun, so if you're willing to carry then I won't object to it." Says the man, motioning her to follow him to his jeep where he keeps all the guns and ammo.

"Great, i'll just take these and get outta your hair."

Shane loads Sarah's gun with ammo before handing it over to her. He hopes this isn't a mistake giving her the weapon even when he knows it could save her life if she's in a jam.

"There's something i'm sure Glenn has not told you and you should know before you leave."

"Okay, what is it?" Wondering what Glenn had forgotten to tell her.

"If you or Glenn get trapped in Atlanta, you're on your own. We don't send more people to search for you because just going to the city is risky enough and we can't risk the lives of more people. It will make the group weaker if we do that." Shane hopes he didn't offend her. It's not that he didn't care what happens to Glenn or Sarah, he just thinking of the group.

"So, is there a time limit to how long we can be in the city then?" Sarah asks.

"Glenn has a radio to get in contact with us in case anything happens so don't worry about that." Shane informs her.

"That makes me feel better and i'm sure that makes you feel better too knowing you can check in on us." Sarah replies.

"That is does, so stick close to Glenn the whole time you're there." It's the only advice the cop can give that would insure that she would be safe.

"Alright, i'm heading out then."

"Stay safe." Is Shane's parting words.

~TWD~

Sarah and Glenn have nearly everything ready for the supply run. For some reason, she feels uneasy and she can't pinpoint why. Maybe it's because she's leaving the safety of the camp or something else.

She feels eyes watching her and she looks around to find the source. When she sees Daryl staring in her direction she looks back at him. He gives a simple nod and that's all it takes for the uneasiness she felt moments before fade way.

"Alright Sarah, we're ready to go." Glenn gets in the driver's seat of an old beat up car.

Sarah looks back at Daryl, resting her hand on the hilt of the hunting knife he'd given her as her own form of reassurance before getting in the car to travel to the infested city of Atlanta.

~TWD~

The ride to Atlanta is a quiet one. From the corner of her eye, she can tell Glenn is nervous and she wonders why. She's been told he's been to the city multiple times already but maybe his nervousness is due to her tagging along.

"Glenn, are you okay? You look nervous."

"Honestly, I am a bit nervous. This is the first time i've brought someone with me. Kinda makes me feel responsible for you." Glenn admits, confirming Sarah's theory.

"Glenn, i've been told you've been on many supply runs in the city. Don't doubt yourself now just because i'm with you." Sarah assures him.

"I know, I just don't want anything to go wrong." Glenn is clearly stressing out.

"I'll follow your lead, I trust you."

"Okay." Glenn nods, though still looking nervous.

"Relax, we'll be in and out of there in no time. We'll have so much stuff that you won't have to come back for a while. You'll get a nice deserving break once we're all done."

"A break does sound nice." He relaxes at the thought.

"See? As long as you do what you always do, we'll be fine." All Sarah can do is encourage him.

With Glenn calming down, the city comes into view. Sarah is shocked at the state the city is in. The tall buildings look like bombs were dropped on them.

"Oh my god, what happened?" Sarah's blue eyes widen at the sight of the once majestic skyscrapers.

"Is this your first time seeing Atlanta?" Glenn asks.

"I've been here before with my mom, it was just a girl's getaway for a few days." Sarah's mom was from the city, so she goes to Atlanta once in awhile to get away from the countryside.

"It got a napalmed by the military, it was a nightmare."

"All those people, they never had a chance to escape." Sarah's expression shows grief over such a huge loss of innocent lives.

"Yeah, there was so much screaming. All those people wanted was safety and instead they got killed by the very people that were supposed to protect them." Glenn's grip on the steering wheel tightens.

Sarah is grateful that she stayed away from the city or else she just might be among the dead herself.

"Let's make this trip quick, just looking at the city is making me uneasy."

"Won't argue with you there." Glenn agrees quickly.

~TWD~

Glenn parks by an abandoned gas station just outside of the city. Sarah grabs an empty duffel bag Glenn brought from the camp so they can bring back even more supplies.

"Okay, once we enter the city, keep quiet and don't attract attention." Glenn takes charge rather quick despite being nervous not that long ago.

"Got it." Sarah calms her own nerves now that the city is so close which means danger is close.

"We'll hit one of the small stores first then we'll find a larger store that would have a tent for you."

"Thanks Glenn, let's get everything on the list so we can go home." Sarah is looking forward to have her own sleeping space.

"Okay, you ready?"

"I'm scared, but i'm ready." Sarah rests the strap of the duffel bag onto her shoulder.

"Alright, let's go." Glenn takes the lead with Sarah not far behind him.

~TWD~

Together, the two pace themselves and jog toward the city. Sarah keeps an eye on her surroundings, making sure nothing gets the jump on her or her Asian friend.

They reach the city in no time and the lack of noise unsettles Sarah. A city should be a place bursting with activity, with running cars and people rushing to get to their destination. Now, what tall buildings remain might as well be a giant grave marker for the people that once called this city home.

Glenn finds a hiding spot for them and turns to her.

"See that small convenience store?" Glenn points out a small building.

Sarah looks in the direction Glenn is pointing at and can see what looks to be an untouched store.

"Yes, I see it." Sarah nods when she gets it in her sights.

"We'll head there first."

"What if we run into the dead?" Sarah asks, worried.

"We'll take care of them quietly." Glenn remembers that Sarah brought her gun and he didn't want her to use it.

"Okay." Sarah didn't tell Glenn about her lack of melee combat, especially when he's clearly in his element here and didn't want to unnerve him.

"I'll go over there first and peek inside, you keep an eye out for any geeks nearby." Glenn's eyes wander around the area to make sure no walking threats are close by.

"I can do that, be careful." Sarah wishes no harm to come to Glenn or herself for that matter so she keeps alert for any trouble.

"I will, here goes nothing." Glenn bolts out of their hiding place and speeds over to the convenience store.

Sarah watches him from a distance, looking around for any signs of trouble. For a city so large, she's surprised she had yet to spot one walking corpse. Maybe they're further into the city.

Glenn beckons her over so she guesses the store is safe to enter.

"It looks clear, but stay alert." Glenn says when she arrives.

"Okay, you take the lead."

Glenn pushes the door open and walks in slowly with Sarah behind him. She places one hand on the hilt of the hunting knife Daryl gave her.

"Should we check the whole store for any nasty surprises?" Sarah whispers to the Asian.

"Yeah, I don't want to become geek food." Glenn says as he begins looking around the store for anything willing to take a bite out of them.

"It's quiet, the store isn't that big, I think it's safe." Sarah says after checking out the whole store with Glenn.

"Let's split up and look around. You have the list right?" Glenn decided earlier that Sarah should handle whatever the women had requested while he took care of the men's and gather any food he can find.

"Yep, I know where to look." Sarah says as she heads straight for the hygiene section.

Sarah stuffs everything the average woman would need on a normal day in her duffel bag. Hair products, body wash and other feminine products that every woman needs to feel her best. She could only imagine Glenn grabbing a box of tampons or pads and feels sorry for the young man.

"Okay, shampoos, conditioners, soap, tampons and pads, check." Before Sarah leaves the aisle, she grabs some toothbrushes and toothpaste because she had a feeling it would be brought up if they return without any even though it's not on the list. She crosses out the items mentioned off the list before moving on to the next aisle.

"What else do I need?" Sarah looks at the list.

"Neon green nail polish?" Sarah recalls Amy asking for nail polish when she was asking around if anyone needed anything from the city.

"Did you find everything?" Glenn asks, stuffing what looks like to be men's body wash into his backpack.

"I need to find Amy some nail polish and I have to get the Dixons some stuff."

"And then your tent." Glenn reminds her.

"Yeah, i'm gonna check behind the register and see if there's a gun."

"I never thought about that. I'm gonna see what else I can find." Glenn wanders to another part of the store.

After Sarah manages to find Amy's desired nail polish, she walks over to the counter and grabs three cartons of cigarettes.

"This should keep the boys happy." Sarah says, stuffing them into her duffel bag.

Sarah goes behind the register when a familiar groan reaches her ears. She looks down to see one of the dead without a leg dragging himself over to where she's standing. She's so shocked at the sight that she had no time to react as the moving corpse grabs her ankle and pulls, forcing her to fall and land on her back. The creature crawls on top of her and she holds it up away from her face with her arms. Sarah comes to her senses and remembers Daryl's hunting knife. Using one arm to hold the dead away from her, she grabs the knife from the sheathe and plunges it into the side of the corpse's head. The dead man ceases to move and blood from the head wound drips on her white tank top, staining it red.

"Oh god." Sarah holds her breath, just the smell alone threatens to suffocate her.

"Sarah? Oh my god, Sarah!" Glenn makes an appearance and rushes to her aid, pushing the motionless dead off of her.

"I'm okay, it didn't bite me." Sarah crawls away from the dead man and catches her breath.

"You sure?" Glenn looks her over for any injuries.

"Yeah, he took me by surprise. Can't believe we forgot to check behind the register." Looking over at her surprise attacker.

"Can you keep going? Your body is shaking." Glenn looks at her with concern.

"Just in shock, think you can give me a minute to collect myself?" Sarah gently lays down on her back after getting some distance from the dead one.

"Yeah, was that your first time killing one up close?"

"Yep, Daryl was right." She says, looking over at the bloody knife she holds tightly in her hand.

"Right about what?" Glenn questions.

"If I wanted to live, that I would use the knife when it came down to it. He was right after all." Sarah will have to thank him later.

"Guess you owe him one."

"That I do, Glenn. Check behind the register for me will you?" Sarah never completed her task so she leaves it up to Glenn.

Glenn nods and checks behind the register to see if the owner left a gun behind. Sure enough, there is a fully loaded gun under the counter.

"Daryl isn't the only one right, there's a gun back here like you said." Glenn holds up the prize in the form of a gun.

"Goodie, getting hurt wasn't in vain then." Sarah sits up and winces at the pain in her back from falling.

"You fell pretty hard huh?"

"I think I might have hit my head too, but my back took the worst of the damage." Rubbing her lower back.

"Do you feel dizzy or anything?" Glenn hopes she didn't get a concussion.

"I did for a moment when I fell, but i'm clear headed now." Holding the back of her head to check for any blood and is relieved to not find any.

"Good, let's go to the sporting goods store where they have your tent." Glenn helps her get on her feet.

"I can get socks for Merle too in the men's department while i'm there. Speaking of Merle, he said he wanted beer." Remembering Merle's request.

"I'll look in the back and see if I can find any. Gotta stay on his good side right?" Glenn leaves her for a moment to grab some warm beer from the cooler.

"Right." Sarah laughs.

Before they leave to store, Sarah grabs a few lighters for the Dixons. How else will they light the cigarettes she got for them? Having completed their purpose in the store, they leave the place behind them.

~TWD~

They head further into the city where the larger stores are, which means more danger is lurking around every corner. Sarah is more on guard than she was before after her encounter in the convenience store.

"We're almost there, it's on the next street." Glenn jogs in front of her and points straight ahead.

"After this, are we done?" Sarah is getting tired of the dangers of the city, wanting nothing more than to be back at the safety of the camp with everyone.

"I got everything on the list, so yeah." Looking down at his now crossed off list.

"Let's get this done so we can finally relax." Sarah can't wait to have her own tent.

They are nearly at the store when Shane's voice rings out on Glenn's radio catching them both by surprise.

"Glenn, Sarah, you there?" Shane's voice calls out.

"Yeah, we're here." Glenn answers, holding the radio close to his mouth.

"Everything going good over there?"

"For the most part, yeah." Glenn replies.

"What does that mean? Did something happen?" Shane's voice sounds concerned.

"Well, Sarah got attacked by a geek, but she's okay." Glenn looks over at Sarah as she stands there silently listening to their conversation.

There is a long pause and the two worry there's something wrong with the radio before Shane answers.

"She bit?" Shane needs to know for the safety of the camp even though Glenn said she's okay. Also unknowingly to the supply runners, two unstable rednecks are close by to the officer and want to know the answer to that question.

"No, it was a close call though." Glenn actually feels ashamed that he put her in that situation by splitting up and he won't be making that mistake again.

"Alright, get back soon." And with that the conversation ends.

"You heard the man, let's get moving." Sarah begins walking towards their destination.

~TWD~

They stand before a large sporting goods store that should have everything a camper needs. Sarah doubts anyone raided the whole store of tents when the world ended. People were more concerned with food than tents.

"It's a rather large store, who knows how many of those things are lurking around in there?" Sarah is nervous not wanting a repeat of what happened earlier.

"Let's stick together this time." He also remembers what happened not that long ago and will not put her in that position again.

"I couldn't agree with you more. Would be safer that way." Sarah quickly agrees.

Sticking close to each other, they walk into what would have once been a busy store filled with hunters and nature enthusiasts of all ages.

"My dad would be in heaven right now if he was here." Sarah chuckles, looking at all the camouflage outfits.

"Why?"

"Because it's a free for all. He wouldn't have to spend a dime." Sarah can just imagine her dad browsing every section of the store like a kid in a candy store.

"Money made the world greedy, now we're fighting for the things that really matter because money can't buy everything."

"Not anymore." Sarah sighs.

"Which way should we go?" Glenn's eyes wander around the large store.

"I got a feeling we should go right." Looking in the mentioned direction.

"I'll follow you this time."

"Oh, so now i'm in charge?" Sarah teases.

"You proved that you can handle yourself, so i'll let you lead this one." This way, Glenn can watch her back and make sure she stays out of danger.

"Okay, watch my back." Sarah winks at Glenn playfully.

Sarah leads Glenn further into the sporting goods store, surprised that no dead wander around. With a store so large, there should be a handful wandering within the abandoned store.

"Don't you find it strange that we haven't seen any dead people yet?" Sarah whispers in case there are any nearby.

"Yeah, I was expecting a few. I guess we got lucky." Glenn sighs, feeling nothing but relief.

"Hey, we should check the back of the store after we find my tent."

"Why?" Wondering what they would gain if they do what she suggested.

"My guess is that their gun display is back there, so we should see if there's any ammo left over." Sarah doubts there will be any guns, but there's hope for ammo.

"Good idea, just like at the convenience store."

It's not long before the groans of the dead are heard up ahead. Both Sarah and Glenn look at each other with the same expression of worry on their faces. They take cover behind some stacked boxes and see that there are walking corpses wandering aimlessly near the tent display. It's clear to the two that there's no avoiding them.

"Shit, we got three geeks up ahead." Glenn spots the trio wandering near the tent display and have no motivation to leave.

"Do you have a weapon?"

"Just a small knife, do you have a plan?" Glenn is all ears.

"Yeah, but you won't like it." Sarah chews on her bottom lip.

"Let's hear it." Glenn sighs.

"If you can distract them, I can take two of them down from behind and you get the other one." After putting down the dead man at the convenience store, Sarah feels more confident with her melee skills.

"You mean i'm bait?" Glenn pales at the thought.

"No point in sugar coating it, so yes. You're quick on your feet so if my plan fails you can easily get away as long as you're not cornered." Sarah knows Glenn can get away if things go wrong.

"Fine, i'll do it." Glenn resigns himself to the task.

"We're a team, we can do this." Sarah encourages him.

Glenn nods and begins his walk toward the dead, but turns to her for a brief moment.

"Hey Sarah?"

"Yes?"

"I really don't like this." The young Asian whimpers, clearly not wanting to be spotted by the dead near their destination.

"I don't like it either, but it's the only plan I got."

"I better not die for a tent." Glenn sighs, not liking this one bit.

Sarah tries not the laugh at the absurd comment, but a giggle escapes her lips.

"That and Merle's socks along with a possible amount of ammo if we're lucky." Sarah pitches in.

"Shane would be happy if we came back with more ammo." Shane had mentioned for weeks that he would feel better if there was more guns and ammo and now Glenn can bring some back with the help of Sarah.

"Yeah, be careful and don't shout to get their attention. We might attract others in the store so try a different approach." Getting back on the subject.

"Wait, why don't we just throw an object away from the tents?" If he could throw something that would make enough noise to attract them to a different location, he won't have to distract them and put himself in danger.

"Because I would rather not be attacked if they decide to come back or discover us making us lose the element of surprise. Think of it this way Glenn, if we take them down now we won't have to worry about them later." The less dead folks wandering around, the better in her opinion.

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Glenn's shoulders slouch in defeat.

"Nope."

"Okay, well here I go." Glenn nervously wanders over near the three dead ones.

Sarah gets into position and nods to Glenn, silently telling him to get the dead's attention. Grabbing a heavy duty flashlight from a nearby shelf, Glenn taps it on the floor repeatedly until the dead turn to him. He stands his ground as they slowly approach him and he looks behind him briefly to make sure he won't be cornered. Sarah quickly but as silently as she can, gets behind two of them and pulls out her knife. She buries the blade into one of the dead's skull and repeats the process with the other. Glenn takes care of the remaining one, stabbing its eye with his own knife.

"See? We did it." Sarah can't help but grin at the Asian.

"Thanks for having my back." Glenn is glad Sarah's plan went smoothly.

"We're a team, it's what we do." Sarah wipes her bloody blade on the pants of one of the dead before returning it to its sheathe.

"Now, let's go pick out your tent." Glenn heads toward the camping department.

"Should I get a sleeping bag too?" Sarah asks while browsing the tents.

"Do you have enough room for one in your duffel bag? If not, i'll carry it. You're carrying a lot more than me."

"I'll take your offer on the sleeping bag, I should grab a pillow too." Sarah picks out a tent that looks easy to assemble and stuffs the packaged tent in her bag.

Glenn didn't have to wander far for a sleeping bag. He carries it under his arm and hands Sarah a pillow he found in the same aisle.

"Now all we have to do is get Merle some socks and check the back for ammo." Sarah says, putting the pillow in her nearly full duffel bag.

Sarah finds some socks a few aisles down and wastes no time grabbing a few pairs.

"Got Merle some socks, shall we check the back?"

"Yeah, lets make it quick." Glenn's had enough of the city and wants to leave soon before more trouble finds them.

The pair quietly moves to the back of the large store and see that the gun section is ransacked to their disappointment. But not all is lost as they found some ammo laying around and quickly gather them.

"That should do it." Glenn puts the last carton of ammo into his backpack.

"Yep, i've had enough adventure for one day." Sarah pats her duffel bag full of stuff.

"That makes two of us." He adjusts the straps on his backpack to make it more comfortable on his shoulders.

"Let's get outta here." She makes her way in the direction of the exit, eager to go home.

~TWD~

With their bags full of goodies, they left the sporting goods store without further incident and make their way back out of the city. Luck is clearly on their side as they have not run into any of the dead as they get closer to where they left the car.

"Kinda strange that we've only run into trouble when in the stores."

"Yeah, I was just thinking that." Glenn is grateful though even if it is odd.

"What if they ventured out of the city? With no more living people to motivate them, maybe they moved on?" A city so large should contain thousands of dead people but they've only ran into four so far.

"That's a scary thought." The camp is the only safe haven that they have and would hate to see it destroyed.

"We'll just have to be more alert from now on." Though Sarah thinks the camp's location will keep them safe for awhile.

"C'mon, we're almost there." Glenn pants, the weight of his backpack slowing him down a bit.

"Good, the strap is digging into my shoulder and it hurts." Sarah says, being in the same position as Glenn thanks to her heavy duffel bag.

~TWD~

They finally spot the old beat up car right where they left it. To Sarah, the car is the ticket to freedom and away from the city ruled by the dead.

Before they get the chance to leave, many groans are heard and the pair look behind them to see a group of the dead heading their way.

"Holy shit, where did they come from?" Glenn looks on in surprise.

"Who cares, let's make a run for the car and get the hell outta here!" Sarah makes a beeline toward the car and Glenn wastes no time following suit.

They throw their things in the back seat and get in quickly, the dead getting closer.

"Hurry before they surround the car!" Sarah panics, watching the group getting closer to them.

Glenn gets the keys in the ignition and starts the car up and with great haste takes off, leaving the city of the dead behind them.

~TWD~

 **A/N:** I think I had way too much fun with this chapter considering how long it is! I just couldn't find a good stopping point! I worked very hard on this one so reviews would be appreciated! I think i'll do one more chapter of fun and then get right into season one so look forward to it! Thanks for reading!

 **Disney'sForgottenPrincess -** You asked me a question regarding if a certain character would be sticking around with the group. I decided to answer your question in a way only you would understand. The character you mentioned will not stay with the group, nor will this said character be fully intact. However, this character will be on vacation and like all vacations, they must come to an end so this character will return in the future. I hope this answers your question!


	6. A Perfect Day for Fishing

**A/N:** Thanks for favoring, following, and especially reviewing! I thought I would do some fun "Walking Dead" facts at the end of every chapter from now on so look forward to it because these facts are about Merle!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own "The Walking Dead" or any of its characters. I only own Sarah.

~TWD~

When Sarah and Glenn return to the quarry, they receive quite the welcome party. You could tell from the expressions on everyone's faces that they're glad the pair made it back safe. Sarah didn't really pay much attention to them though, she's just glad she made it back in one piece.

Sarah wants to see the Dixons first, but did not find it surprising they're not with the group of people surrounding her and Glenn. She decides to go to Shane instead to show him what they picked up in the city.

"I see you both made it back unharmed." Shane greets her as she approaches him.

"I wouldn't say unharmed, but we're alive and that is all that matters."

"Do you have something for me?" Shane eyes the duffel bag Sarah carries.

"Yes, I think you'll be very pleased." Sarah digs into her duffel bag and pulls out a carton of ammo to present to him.

"You found ammo?" Shane can't contain his excitement as he takes the box and inspects it.

"We found a gun too. Glenn has it in his backpack along with the rest of the ammo."

"I gotta say, i'm impressed." Perhaps allowing Sarah to accompany Glenn wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"We were lucky back there. Before we left, we were nearly surrounded by those things." Recalling their terrifying final moments just outside the city.

"You're shitting me."

"I shit you not. It's a good thing they move slow." If they weren't, they would have never made it back.

"Glenn said you were attacked." Looking at the dried blood on her tank top.

"Yes, but I promise it didn't bite me. If it did, I would have stayed behind." Sarah refuses to put the people that welcomed her into their group in danger because of selfish reasons.

"You'd really do that? Just to be left behind to die alone?" Shane had to admit that even he wouldn't have the guts to make such a decision for himself, let alone the ones he cares for.

"These people welcomed me here, shared their food and comforts with me before I had the chance to offer to work for it. I don't want to betray their trust." Sarah declares with utmost honesty.

"Well said, so you got everything?" Shane asks.

"Whatever was requested is in this duffel bag or Glenn's backpack." Sarah pats the duffel bag hanging at her side.

"We'll sort through it all later. I'm pretty sure you want to set up your tent now that you have one."

"It will be nice to have my own personal space and Dale can have his privacy again." Sarah had never set up a tent before, but she welcomes the challenge.

"Have you told Dale?" Shane asks.

"No, but i'm going to so he doesn't worry when he sees i'm not sleeping in the RV." Sarah never told Dale that her whole reason for going to Atlanta was to get a tent so he can have the RV to himself again. She makes a mental note to talk to the elderly man at a later time.

"Before you do that, you should find a spot to set up your tent. I can do that for you if you'd like?" Shane offers, wanting nothing more than to help the woman that risked her life to bring back much needed supplies.

"Actually, I was going to ask Merle and Daryl if they won't mind having a neighbor." Sarah wants to be closer to the two, feeling the most comfortable with them.

Shane frowns at the idea of the pretty brunette getting nice and cozy with the Dixons. Nothing good will come from it, he'll just have to convince her it's a bad idea.

"Sure you wanna do that? There are plenty of spots to choose from."

"Yes, i'm sure. If they say no, i'll look elsewhere." She hopes the Dixons won't mind though.

"Come to me if you need any help setting up your tent." Shane decides rather quickly to give up on the topic. She's done enough for the group today and telling her what to do after just getting back from Atlanta would be a bad call.

"Thanks Shane." Sarah watches Shane walk off, no doubt to collect the gun and ammo from Glenn.

~TWD~

Before she can set her tent up, she decides not to wait and hand out everything she collected from the city to the people that requested them. The women are very happy with what she brought back. They are even more grateful that she brought toothbrushes and toothpaste, having forgotten to mention the items when she asked around this morning.

"Oh my god, you actually found my nail polish!" Amy squeals in delight as she takes the desired object from Sarah's hand.

"Yes, it was an unusual find in a convenience store." Then again, the store owners get to choose what they sell so maybe it isn't that unusual.

"Does it matter? You found it and that's all that counts." Amy holds the small bottle against her chest.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"If you'll excuse me, my nails are in need of a serious makeover." Amy excitedly heads into her tent.

~TWD~

The only items Sarah had left to hand out are what the Dixons requested. She is excited to tell the two brothers what she had found while in the city and hopes it pleases them.

"Guess whose ass came back intact?" Sarah hollers as she approaches her two favorite rednecks.

"Ain't ya a sight for sore eyes?" Merle laughs at her joke, happy to see her.

Daryl says nothing, but his blue eyes don't stray from her person. His constant stare makes her uncomfortable, but she did her best not to call him out on it.

"I got you some presents." Holding up the duffel bag.

"Oh, whatcha get?" Merle asks, eying the bag.

Sarah digs into her duffel bag and pulls out the three cartons of cigarettes she snatched at the convenience store earlier. Immediately, their eyes light up at the sight.

"Got some lighters to go with them." Sarah mentions, taking out the lighters as well.

"Ain't ya a peach." Merle takes the items seeing that Daryl didn't make a move to retrieve them.

"I also got you a few pairs of socks to replace the ones I threw out."

"What 'bout my beer?" Merle is looking forward to drinking something that isn't water.

"Glenn has a six pack for you." Remembering that they left them in the car when they returned.

"That's it? One lousy six pack?" Merle complains.

"It was all we could afford to carry to make room for everything else." Sarah just wanted to get out of that store and Glenn was the one that grabbed the beer at her request so it wasn't her fault he only grabbed six cans of beer.

"It will have to do." Merle sighs, figuring he could always demand the Chinese kid to go back to Atlanta if he feels like it.

"I also found a gun and some ammo. I already handed over what I had to Shane." She hopes that finding at least one weapon pleases them.

"Sure the officer is very happy." Merle grumbles, not being a fan of cops.

"Who cares 'bout that?" Daryl says, his tone being foul.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asks her redneck friend.

"Ya gonna explain how ya got that blood on ya?" Daryl eyes her her white tank top, the bloodstains standing out.

"I was gonna ask ya that too, seems Darylina beat me to it." Merle says, looking over at his little brother.

"I was attacked by one of those things and its blood got on me, that's all." Sarah gives them the abridged version.

"I want to whole story, now." Daryl demands, surprising Sarah and even Merle who had never seen his brother so worked up over something like this.

"I was in the convenience store with Glenn and we thought the place was clear. So, we split up to gather supplies faster. I figured maybe there was a gun under the register so I went to look and there was one of those things crawling on the floor after me. I froze and couldn't move so it grabbed my ankle and the next thing I know, I was laying the floor and it was crawling on top of me trying to bite my face off. I snapped out of it and remembered Daryl's knife, so I used it and the blood from the wound got on me. Glenn found me moments later and got the thing off of me." Sarah recalls her first close encounter with one of the dead.

"Damn gurl, good thing Daryl gave ya that knife."

"I know, I was thinking that too. I'm sure I would have died had Daryl not lent it to me." Sarah had yet to give the knife back, but is surprised that Daryl had yet to ask for its return.

"Is that all?" Daryl presses for more information.

"I took down two more later." Sarah adds.

"Really?" Daryl's expression didn't show it, but he's impressed. Just this early morning the woman before him never took down a dead bastard up close and personal.

"I guess I gained some confidence." She went to the city to gain a tent, but she gained much more.

"So, ya git yer tent?" Merle changes the subject.

"Yes I did, Glenn got me a sleeping bag too." Her sleeping bag is currently in Glenn's car with Merle's beer.

"Where ya gonna set it up?"

"Shane said he knows a few spots I can set up camp." Sarah is too nervous to ask the Dixons if she can pitch her tent close to them, even though that's what she told Shane she'd do.

"Screw that pig, ya can set up near us right lil' brother?"

"I don't mind." Daryl Shrugs.

"Really?" Sarah's eyes widen in excitement.

"Don't make me repeat myself gurlie." Though it's clear that Merle is glad to have her as a neighbor. She'll be easier to tease that way.

"Sorry."

"Do ya even know how to set up a tent?" Daryl asks.

"No." Sarah admits, her father or brothers always took care of it.

"Yer hopeless woman." Daryl shakes his head.

"I don't expect anyone to do it for me, i'll never learn that way."

"In that case, if ya fail we'll give you some pointers." Daryl offers.

"Before I do anything, i'm going to talk to Dale first." She needs to let Dale know about her new sleeping arrangement.

"Why?"

"I want to thank him for letting me sleep in his RV." Sarah didn't want to be rude.

"Can't ya do that later?" Daryl asks.

"Nope, gotta do things in order." Sarah smiles, leaving the two brothers to their own devices.

~TWD~

Sarah approaches the RV and as usual, Dale watches over the camp on its roof.

"Hey Dale, mind if I join you for a bit?" Sarah hollers at the elderly man.

"I could sure use the company, come on up." Dale happily answers.

Sarah climbs up the ladder to join the old man. Dale sits in a lawn chair quietly with a rifle in his lap.

"How are things looking?" Sarah takes in the view.

"Peaceful, let's hope it stays that way. I saw that you left with Glenn this morning, you had me worried." Dale is happy that she's back safe and sound.

"Sorry I didn't tell you, I should've." Sarah is mentally kicking herself for forgetting to do so.

"No need to apologize, young lady. It's the first time Glenn has taken anyone with him. Was there a reason for that?" It's been bothering him ever since he saw her leave with Glenn this morning.

"That's what I came to talk about."

"I'm always willing to listen."

"I wanted to go to Atlanta to get a tent." Sarah gets right to the point.

"But why would you need to do that? Is the something wrong with the RV?" Dale asks.

"No, your RV is fine!" Sarah didn't mean to offend him.

"No? Then what?" Dale takes no offense, but is curious to why she went through the trouble.

"Since I got here, you're always sitting on top of your RV looking out for us. At the end of the day, you should be able to relax and cool your head from the heat without someone invading your space. That's why I went with Glenn." Sarah explains.

Dale is touched that she thought of his well being to such a degree that she risked her life.

"I'm more than happy to share my RV with anyone that needs it."

"I know, but I also know that everyone needs their privacy."

"Are you sure you want to sleep in a tent?" Dale didn't mind having Sarah as a guest in his RV, but if she wants her own space he will not stop her.

"Yeah, i'm going to set it up in a bit."

"You picked a spot already?"

"Yep, near the Dixons." Sarah informs.

"Merle and Daryl?" Dale's face pales at the mention of them.

"Yes, they said I could." Sarah looks at Dale, happy to give this information.

Dale had noticed that the Dixons treat Sarah well and that she seems quite friendly with them. Perhaps Dale had misjudged their character and to see Sarah happy about the situation, he can't help but smile at the woman's happiness.

"If you need anything for your tent, let me know."

"Thanks Dale, i'm gonna head back down and get started with my tent." Sarah stands up, stretching out her arms.

"I'm sure the boys will help you out." And if they don't, Dale will.

"If I fail, then yeah they will." Sarah bids Dale farewell as she climbs down the ladder.

~TWD~

Sarah is at a good start with the tent, but halfway through, she gets a little lost in attaching the poles that give the tent its shape.

"Ain't doin' bad for yer first try." Daryl watches her struggle from where he sits.

"You would think something like this would be easy." Sarah looks down at the directions.

"know ya wouldn't do it right the first time."

"I'm not giving up, if that's what you're thinking."

"Ain't gotta be stubborn, said I would help if ya can't do it." Technically, he said Merle and himself would help, but he spotted Merle walking toward the woods.

"I know." Sarah attaches the two poles and rejoices.

"Now ya just have to attach the rest." Daryl teases her.

"Oh shut up an get back to what you were doing." Sarah scolds the hunter.

"I'm watchin' ya, so i'll keep doin' that." He sits there, not lifting one finger to help the tent novice.

Sarah wanted to call him a jackass, but keeps her comments to herself as she proceeds to put together her tent.

~TWD~

In the end, Daryl had to help Sarah with the completion of the tent. With it done, she proceeds to move in her sleeping bag, pillow, and a bag with a few belongings.

"Home sweet home." Sarah lays down on her sleeping bag.

Though she isn't allowed to relax for long as Merle's voice call for her outside her tent.

"See ya got yer tent set up."

Sarah pokes her head outside to see Merle standing in front of her.

"Your brother helped me." Sarah admits, stepping out of her new living situation.

"Thought ya were gonna do it yerself?" Merle teases.

"Plans changed." Sarah shrugs.

"He's always a softie, that one." Merle shakes his head.

"Nothing wrong with that, some women like men like that."

"Do ya Sweetcheeks?"

"Do I like men with a sensitive side? Hmm, I suppose so." Her last boyfriend Alex was kind to her, until she caught him cheating with her own cousin in the bed they shared. She did not hesitate to pack her things and leave their apartment the following day. No amount of apologies from him was going to sway her mind. It was after the break up that Sarah decided to go on a road trip all over Georgia which in the end landed her near Atlanta at the camp.

"Hello, Sweetcheeks? Are ya with me?" Merle waves his hand in front of her face to get her attention.

"What? Oh sorry, was lost in my thoughts." Sarah's mind returns to the present. She never thought she would think of her ex-boyfriend again after hunting her in such a way. The road trip was a way to forget him but it seems that will not be happening any time soon.

"Wanna share?" Referring to what she was thinking about.

"Nope, I think i'm good." Sarah didn't want to bring up such a personal matter.

Pushing the thoughts of her ex-boyfriend out of her mind, she sits in a lawn chair outside her tent that Merle provided her as a gift of sorts before he wandered off into the woods earlier.

"You drink all that beer yet?" Sarah asks, switching the subject.

"What makes ya think I drank it all in one day?"

"You look like you can handle your alcohol." Sarah shrugs, thinking he looks the type that could.

"Ain't denying that." Merle grins.

"Sorry I couldn't get you more. If I had, it would have been too much weight for me to carry. Maybe we can convince Glenn to bring even more people on the next supply run."

"Maybe i'll volunteer." Merle says on a whim.

"Why?"

"Need a change of scenery and I wouldn't mind gettin' away from these assholes." As much as he enjoys the woods, he needs a break from it.

"Merle, be nice!" Sarah scolds the older brother.

"By assholes, I mean pig." Merle corrects himself.

"Shane?"

"Man thinks he owns the place." Merle also knows that he fucks that broad Lori in the woods from time to time.

"Well, he isn't, law is dead." Sarah declares. The law can't save her from the dead that wander their earthly plane now.

"That be the wisest words i've heard 'round here." Merle praises.

"Sooner or later he's going to have to accept the fact that the world will never be the same again, that law will never be the same again."

"Everyone else 'round here thinks we'll be saved or some shit. Fat chance of that happenin'."

"By who?" Who could possibly rescue them?

"Military or sumethin', but being a military man, I know how they do things."

"You were in the military?" Sarah didn't hide the fact that she's impressed.

"Why? Ya like a man in uniform?" Merle wiggles his eyebrows suggestively earning him a giggle from the brunette. He loves egging her on with his suggestive comments, especially because she takes no offense to it.

"Stop that." Sarah laughs.

"But anyway, I was in the military and if I was a bettin' man, i'd bet they'd be protectin' anyone related to the government." Merle takes out a pack of cigarettes and puts one in his mouth, lighting it up with the lighter.

"So you're not in the military anymore?" Sarah asks.

"If I was, I wouldn't be here with my brother and I would know more 'bout what was goin' on here than these assholes." Merle didn't like the idea of leaving his brother behind, bad enough that he did that back when he first joined the military when Daryl was only a kid.

"That's true, do you think the military's still active?" If the military is willing to protect the government, they should be protecting the civilians too.

"With this shitstorm? Nah, not knowin' what yer fightin' against and with little intel would make 'em run with their tails between their legs." Though Merle is sure a few loyal soldiers would stay and fight till the last man. He knew a few men like that when he was a part of the military.

"So we're on our own?"

"Whatcha talkin' 'bout? Yer got yer ol' pal Merle right here." Merle puffs out his chest and he pounds his fist into it.

"I do feel better knowing we have a military man around." Sarah had to admit, she feels more comfortable with Merle than with Shane.

"Atta gurl."

"Can I ask why you left the military?" Sarah is curious, but will understand if he won't give an answer.

"Got tired of being bossed 'round, ain't my style." While he liked the structure of the military, it was the people he couldn't stand. After a couple years of keeping his aggressive behavior in check, he finally lost his temper and punched a sergeant and was dishonorably discharged as a result. But it didn't end there for Merle as he was court-martialed and sent to prison for sixteen months.

"But the experience you got from them will come in handy now."

"Got a point, Sweetcheeks." His training with all sorts of firearms will definitely come in handy in the new world created by the dead.

"Maybe you can teach me a couple things someday?" Sarah asks with some hope. Wouldn't hurt to learn some things that could save her life in the future.

"I'll think 'bout it." It would be funny and maybe even sexy to see such a sweet woman holding an assault rifle.

"By the way, where's Daryl?" Sarah looks around briefly and sees that he's nowhere to be found.

"He's in the woods." He saw Daryl leave not that long ago.

"Why?"

"Huntin'."

"But won't the smell and noise we make keep animals away?"

"True, but ya don't know my brother like I do. He's got a gift, that one. Don't tell 'im I said that." Merle won't admit it, but he reckons Daryl is more skilled at hunting than he is, maybe even more skilled than their father.

"Would be nice if he found a deer, though I doubt any would be this close to camp no matter how skilled he is."

"Venison does sound good. Actually, we were tracking a deer when we found ya."

"Really? I'm sorry." Sarah had no idea that they lost such an opportunity because of her.

"I'm not, not every day ya see a fine lookin' woman stuck in a tree."

"You're going to make me blush, Merle." Sarah can already feel her face heat up.

"Just tellin' the truth, Sweetcheeks."

"Anyway, when do you think he'll be back?" Sarah asks.

"That boy could be gone all day for all I know."

"A shame, I was thinking we all could do something fun together." Sarah sighs.

"Fun ya say? Does it involve less clothin'?"

"Merle! Do I look like the kind of girl that would do something so lewd?" Sarah is appalled at his suggestion of a threesome even though she knows her was going to say something dirty.

"Nah, bet yer great in bed though." Merle can't help but rile her up more after her reaction.

"Honestly Merle, do you have no shame?" She knows he means no harm, but still he could hold back a little.

"But really, whatcha have in mind?" All joking aside, getting back on the subject.

"I was thinking maybe we could relax and do some fishing together." Sarah had the idea of fishing ever since she noticed Dale's fishing gear.

"Fishin'?" Merle can't remember the last time he went fishing, but he likes the idea of doing something relaxing for a change.

"Yeah, Dale has some fishing gear. I didn't want to ask him before because I was imposing on him at the time but now I don't feel so guilty at the idea."

"And ya wanna fish with me and my brother?" Merle questions.

"Yeah, I don't want to fish with anyone else." Sarah is the most comfortable with the brothers. No amount of protests and warnings from the others will change her mind about the two.

"Well, if my lil' brother is up for it, we could do it tomorrow." Merle's sure Daryl won't object to the idea, especially since the young brunette will be joining them.

"Really?" Sarah's blue eyes light up.

"Have to ask 'im when he gits back. Besides, i'm gettin' tired of squirrel." If he can't have venison, then fish will have to do.

"Great, i'll ask Dale if we can borrow his fishing gear. If you see Daryl, can you let him know that I want to talk to him?"

"What am I, an errend boy?" Merle didn't mind since Sarah's the one that's asking him.

"Well, he is your brother." Sarah points out.

"Yer lucky ya got a nice ass or I would have said no."

"Oh, I hope it will be nice tomorrow." Sarah prays the weather will be perfect for their outing.

"I ain't worried 'bout the weather, Sweetcheeks."

"You're right, it should be fine. When you see Daryl, just direct him to my tent please."

"Yeah yeah." Merle holds back the urge to make a suggestive comment on Daryl being in her tent. But, he can't hold back the urge to smile at the thought of her reaction if he had.

~TWD~

Sarah is reading a book she collected when she was moving place to place before arriving at the camp. Sarah always had a love for books and even though the world is different from the one she was born in, she still finds the time to crack open a book and get lost in its pages.

"Hey, ya in there?" Daryl's voice call out to her from outside her tent.

"Yeah, gimme a second." Sarah bookmarks the page she was reading before stepping outside to be greeted by Daryl's presence.

"Merle said ya wanted to talk to me 'bout sumethin'?" Daryl wonders what she wants and had a feeling that Merle knows what she's going to ask.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you wanted to go fishing tomorrow?"

"Fishin'?" Like Merle, Daryl can't remember the last time he went fishing. Hunting in the woods is easier because there are tracks to follow, fish don't a trail like land creatures can.

"I already asked Merle and he's up for it." Sarah informs the hunter.

"Why fishin'?" Daryl questions the young woman.

"It's relaxing."

"We ain't got time to relax woman." But fishing is a form of survival so maybe it's not such a bad idea.

"I'll be honest, I just want to forget about the horrible situation we're in right now for a while and fishing with people is a good way of doing that." And if she is more honest, she would admit she really just wants to spend more time with the brothers.

"Ya gonna ask the old man for his fishin' gear?"

"I'm sure he won't mind."

"Well, it ain't like I caught anythin' today. Alright, i'll join ya tomorrow." Daryl gives in. After all, fishing is just another form of hunting in his opinion.

"Great! I just have to get Dale's permission to use his fishing gear." Sarah claps her hands together in excitement.

"Ya better hope to it then."

"I'll talk to him after dinner." Sarah thinks Dale will be more willing to part with his stuff on a full stomach.

"Alright." Daryl leaves her, secretly looking forward to fishing with her tomorrow.

~TWD~

After everyone fills their bellies with food, Sarah makes her way to the RV in hopes that Dale will allow her to borrow his fishing gear. She steps into the RV to see Dale drinking a bottle of water.

"Hey Dale, up for a chat?"

"I'm always up for a chat with a pretty lady." Dale waves her over.

"Good, I wanted to ask you something." Sarah sits down at the table across from Dale.

"Ask away."

"Well, I thought it would be a good idea to unwind and do some fishing. Thing is, you're the only one with the fishing gear." Sarah says, getting to the point.

"And you want to borrow them?" Dale concludes.

"Yeah."

"Are you fishing alone? It's not a good idea to be by yourself." Danger is lurking around every corner and it's not safe to be alone.

"Merle and Daryl will be joining me. Merle seems to like the idea of fishing and Daryl is up for it."

"You three are close." Dale shows acceptance to the trio hanging together.

"It's strange Dale, i've only known them for a couple of days. Yet, I feel like i've known them for years." Sarah didn't really know why she feels this way and can't seem to find the answer no matter how much she thinks about it. She decides that maybe their friendship was always meant to be and didn't mind the thought of it one bit.

"We live in a strange world, young lady." And in this strange world, your background no longer matters. Only what you do from here on out matters now.

"That we do." Sarah agrees.

"About the fishing gear, you can use it. Just return everything to me when you're done." Dale watches as Sarah's eyes fill with joy.

"Thanks Dale, i'll collect them when i'm ready to fish tomorrow." Sarah gives Dale her best smile before departing.

~TWD~

Sarah spends the rest of the day in good spirits knowing she now had something good to look forward to tomorrow. Before she goes into her tent, she lets the brothers know that their fishing expedition is a green light.

"So, we're goin' fishin' tomorrow?" Merle asks.

"Yep, i'm excited."

"It's just fishin'." But Daryl can't help but watch the cheery expression on the woman's face.

"I know, but it's something i'm decent at."

"Well, i'm headin' in early then. Gonna find a good fishin' spot in the mornin'." Daryl gets up from his lawn chair.

"Okay, good night Daryl."

"Night Darylina."

Daryl scoffs at Merle before turning in for the evening.

~TWD~

Sarah wakes up just as the sun rises. She gets dressed and steps outside, taking in the gorgeous blue sky above her.

"It looks like it's going to be a good day." Sarah smiles.

"Yer up early."

Sarah turns around and is greeted by the sight of Daryl, the sun rising just behind him.

"I went to bed shortly after you did. Is Merle up yet?"

"He should be up in a few minutes I reckon." Daryl looks over at the tent occupied by his older brother.

"I hope so, i'm excited for today."

"Ain't ya gettin' a lil' too excited?" Daryl didn't mind it though.

"Maybe a little." Sarah calms herself down.

"I found a good fishin' spot by the rocks. Go get the old man's gear 'fore Merle wakes up." Daryl knows Merle can get grouchy in the early morning so getting everything ready before he wakes would keep his good side in check.

After Sarah brought back everything they need for an afternoon of fishing and with Merle awake, the trio head to their destination with Daryl leading the way.

~TWD~

"I gotta admit, ya found a good spot." Merle casts his fishing line into the water.

"Yeah, no one will bother us here. It's nice and peaceful." Sarah breathes in the fresh air.

"Weren't such a bad idea to do this." While Daryl likes being surrounded by the woods, this isn't so bad neither. At the moment though, Daryl didn't have a fishing pole because Dale only had two so he's waiting for his turn.

"After my time in the city yesterday, I really need this." Sarah tugs at her fishing pole a little, having the jig mimic living bait swimming around.

"I overheard sumethin' 'bout that."

"What?" Sarah's curiosity is piqued.

"That ya had a bunch of those bastards after ya as yer were leavin'." Merle says.

"That true?" Daryl looks over at her.

"Yeah, they came out of nowhere. We made a mad dash to the car and got out of there just in time." Sarah shivers at the memory.

"Didn't know 'bout that."

"You didn't ask." Sarah tugs at her fishing pole again.

"Smartass." Daryl pulls out a cigarette from his pocket before lighting it.

"Sorry, just saying." Sarah shrugs.

"What was it like in the city?" Merle had yet to be in the city, but he saw the bombing firsthand with Daryl, though his mind is foggy of that night.

"Quiet, very eerie seeing everything abandoned with no people crowding the sidewalks or heavy traffic in the streets." Sarah knows it won't be the last time she'll have to see a sight like it.

"Guess that would be a strange sight."

"It is." All Sarah wants to do is forget the state the city is in.

"Can't believe they bombed the city." Daryl remembers that night, the screams that came from the city while Merle was cheering like it was a celebration. Though in Merle's defense, he was as high as a kite.

"The government ain't gonna care as long as they save their own asses."

"What was bombing the city gonna do? This plague or whatever it is spread beyond those boundaries. It was pretty pointless and inhumane. If I ever see a government official, i'm gonna shot their kneecaps off." The government feared this plague so much that innocent people died and they weren't even infected, they were only looking for a safe haven.

"I thought ya were nice?" Merle looks over at her.

"If Daryl was in the city when the bombing happened, wouldn't you feel the same?"

"The hell woman?" Daryl didn't like being in the spotlight.

"He'd live." Merle didn't want to give his real answer in front of his brother as he's not the best at showing brotherly affection. If Merle was being honest, he would have done way worse than shooting off kneecaps.

"This conversation took a dark turn." Sarah frowns.

"Yeah, so how'd ya learn to fish?" Merle changes the subject to something more cheerful.

"My cousin taught me." Sarah's mood instantly changes at the memory of her cousin Austin.

"You mentioned that the other day." Daryl recalls her saying her cousin taught her how to fish to cheer her up because she's the only girl in her family.

"My dad taught my brothers how to hunt and I felt left out, so my cousin thought teaching me how to fish would make me happy." Austin's plan succeeded because after she learned she never passed an opportunity to go fishing.

"Normally ain't it the grandfathers that teach the lil' ones how to fish?" At least that's the tradition or her father could have taught her.

"I never met any of my grandparents." Sarah shrugs.

"They dead?" Merle asks, curious about the woman's background.

"No, my dad has a bad history with his parents and my mom ceased contact with hers before I was born." After finding out about the history of her grandparents, she had no desire to meet any of them.

"Why?" Merle asks.

"My mom is a blue blood."

"For real?" Merle shouldn't be surprised, Sarah looks like she could be from a rich family.

"That explains some things." Would explain why Sarah had such good manners.

"She hated that lifestyle and felt she had no control on how she lived her life. Everything was decided for her, even who she would marry."

"They still do arranged marriages?"

"Yeah, and my mom would have married a jerk if not for my dad." Sarah says proudly.

"I gotta hear this." Merle passes his fishing pole off to Daryl, more interested Sarah's stories than fishing.

"It's not my story to tell, but I can say that my mom ran away with my dad because she knew her parents would not approve of him." Sarah loves her dad and anyone that didn't like him might as well be an enemy.

"Why not?"

"Because my dad is a redneck."

"Come again?" Merle thinks he misheard her.

"He's a redneck." She can't blame him, she didn't look like a redneck at all. She takes after her mother, not that she minds.

"Yer shittin' me." There's no way this pretty woman is the daughter of a redneck. Though it explains so much on why she treats them with respect.

"My mom said meeting my dad was the best thing to ever happen to her. She finally got the freedom she always wanted, even if it meant leaving her city life behind." Sarah smiles.

"And yer dad's parents?" Merle's shock subsides at her revelation.

"Bad history." Sarah says nothing more, growing quiet.

Daryl looks over at Sarah and can see her gripping her fishing pole tightly after her short answer. If her dad is a redneck, he has a pretty good idea what that bad history might be and can't blame her for not revealing that information. Still, he's amazed she grew up in a household full of men and still turned out to be a respectful pretty young woman. He would even say she's the definition of the term 'southern belle'.

"Hey, I think I got something!" Sarah tugs at her fishing pole, the fishing line going tight.

"Pull woman!" Merle cheers her on.

Sarah reels in her line, feeling her catch struggle to get free from the hook.

"Almost got it!" Sarah gets more excited as she reels the fish closer to her. With one more tug, she pulls a nice good sized fish out of the water and cheers at being the first one to catch a fish.

All Daryl can do is take in the look of pure joy on her face. She was right, maybe forgetting their shitty situation isn't all that bad.

~TWD~

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading this chapter and keep those reviews coming! Next chapter will be the prologue to season 1!

 **Fun Facts Time:** Fact #1: Merle was supposed to be in season 4 but the writers killed him off as a last minute decision while writing episode 15 of season 3.

Fact #2: The only character Merle feared was the Governor.

Fact #3: Merle's final words "I ain't gonna beg, i'm not begging you!" were not directed at the Governor, but God according to actor Micheal Rooker.

Fact #4: Merle has a nickname for almost every main character in the show. (The list is on Wiki)

Fact #5: Daryl's motorcycle actually belonged to Merle.

Fact #6: Norman Reedus originally auditioned for the role of Merle. While he was turned down for the part, the creators liked his acting so much that they created Daryl Dixon specifically for him. This earned Merle a little brother as a result.

Who should I do fun facts on next?


	7. Separation

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for favoring, following, and reviewing! Sorry for the delay, I had to play "The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct" for this chapter. There's plenty of Daryl and Merle to go around in this chapter so enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own "The Walking Dead", "The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct" or any of its characters, I only own Sarah.

~TWD~

The next few days pass by peacefully for the Atlanta campers. Since Sarah's confession of her redneck background, the brothers have been more friendly with her. The more she hangs out with them, the less people try to convince her to stay away from the duo.

"Saw some deer tracks today." Daryl says, poking a stick into a freshly made fire.

"Really? Does that mean I might be tasting venison in the near future?" Sarah's blue eyes twinkle at the thought of fresh deer meat.

"They weren't fresh, but I reckon I could find it if I wanted to. Would mean I might be gone for a couple days though."

Sarah didn't like the idea of her closest redneck friend being gone from the camp for more than one day. Whenever the brothers are out of hearing range, the campers always try to pry information out of her about the two such as their history which Sarah knows little to nothing about despite their time together. The only thing she did know is Merle's military background. However, she recently discovered Merle's recreational habit with drugs after catching him snorting cocaine in the woods. She made him promise not to get high around camp and to make sure there are no looming threats when he does so. She knows he'll eventually run out of drugs to get high on and when he goes through the detox process, she'll be there to support him.

"I'm not that desperate for deer meat." Sarah lies, actually wanting some venison instead of squirrel.

"Ya gonna be lonely without me?" Daryl teases.

"Maybe you'll be the one that's lonely." Sarah had noticed that Daryl's behavior towards her is more gentle since that day they went fishing together. He seems to be much more relaxed in her presence and teases her more.

Sarah sees Merle come out of the woods, looking a little out of it as he goes into his tent. Sarah frowns and Daryl takes notice.

"Ya found out about his habit?"

"Yeah, I warned him not to expose his hobby around camp."

"That explains why he's been goin' in the woods a lot more lately." Daryl brought up the topic with his brother the other day, but was brushed off withing getting an answer.

"It's going to be tough on him when he runs out."

"Least I won't have to worry 'bout him overdosin' then." It would be a change Daryl would welcome.

"Has he overdosed before?"

"A few times, not like it's stopped him from doin' it again." Daryl always had to clean up Merle's mess when it happened.

"I don't like it, but I can't stop him."

"Have ya told anyone?"

"No, it's none of their business unless someone gets hurt. But, Merle is hurting himself because of it." Sarah looks down, feeling helpless that she can't help Merle with his addiction.

"If people found out, we'd be kicked out." Then again, Daryl didn't owe these people anything. If anything, they owe the brothers for lending their hunting skills.

"If that happens, can I go with you?" Sarah asks. While she's a little attached to Glenn and Dale, she's even more attached to the brothers.

"Ya serious?" Her question surprises Daryl, he did not think she would willingly leave the safety of the camp just to travel with them with no destination in mind.

"I like you guys and besides, Merle promised me he'd teach me how to use different weapons.

"He did?" Guess it shows Daryl how fond of Sarah Merle is if he's willing to give her weapon training.

"Yeah, I also still have your knife." Sarah points down at the sheathed knife resting on her hip.

"I forgot about that." When he heard that Sarah was attacked while in Atlanta, getting his knife back was far from his mind.

"I promised that I would return it." Sarah touches the hilt.

"Nah, ya can keep it."

"Are you sure?"

"I got others, 'sides ya might need it again." It would make Daryl feel better knowing she had some form of protection besides her gun which she never returned to Shane since he was so excited with her finding a new gun and ammo.

"I do feel safer having it." Sarah admits.

"All the more reason ya should keep it."

"Thanks Daryl." Sarah smiles at the hunter.

"I outta be thankin' ya instead." It's rare to have a Dixon thanking anyone.

"For what?"

"Lookin' out for Merle, he can be a handful when he's not clear-headed." Daryl can't count the number of times his brother's antics got him and many other in trouble.

"I grew up with three brothers plus my dad remember?"

"I forgot." He wonders what that was like for her.

"No worries, it made my life more interesting."

"Interestin'?"

"My dad is the most entertaining when he's drunk. It depends on his emotion before drinking on how he'll act when he drinks one too many."

"What do ya mean?"

"For example, if I rebelled against him, he would turn into a crybaby once he's drunk enough."

"Kinda pathetic." Though the image Daryl produces in his head of a crying redneck whining about his daughter is amusing.

"And if he's happy, he gets goofy."

"Yer old man is an odd one."

"Yeah, but I love him all the same."

"Guess we have our share of experiences with our families." Daryl wishes he could forget most of those experiences but he knows they will forever haunt him.

"You have no idea, Daryl. "

"'Bout Merle, he's been slowin' down on the drugs. I think he's tryin' to make 'em last." Daryl says, getting back on the subject of Merle.

"Like a said before, he'll run out and when that happens we're going to dealing with a whole new set of problems."

"The hell does that mean?" Daryl didn't take insults about his brother lightly from anyone, including Sarah even if he did deserve it sometimes.

"Calm down, i'm saying that a man going through detox won't be in the right mind and won't be quiet. We'll need to do our best to keep tabs on him when it happens."

"In other words, we need a plan." Daryl calms down after hearing her explanation. He thought she was insulting Merle, but she is really looking out for him.

"Lucky for us, we got some time." Once Merle's stash of drugs runs out, it will be a problem not just for Daryl and herself, but everyone at camp. Shane would not take Merle's drug habit lightly, being an officer of the law.

"Why do ya wanna help anyway?"

"Because I like you guys." Sarah repeats her earlier statement with a light smile on her face.

This woman continues to amaze Daryl at every turn. Most women would look at Merle's drug habit with disgust and demand he cease his illegal activities immediately. But Sarah sees Merle's problem in a different way. She sees him as the victim of bad decisions, though Daryl didn't want to think of Merle as a victim of anything.

"So, do ya have a plan?"

"No, but we have luck on our side." Sarah states.

"How?"

"No one knows yet and we should take advantage of it." It will buy them time to come up with a plan.

"Yer right, suppose we should." Daryl sighs.

"So, you were talking about finding deer tracks?" Sarah asks, getting back to Daryl's earlier subject feeling they can continue their talk about Merle another time.

"I'm gettin' tired of squirrel, so I really want to hunt that deer." Daryl can tell by Sarah's expression this morning that she too is tired of eating the tree climbing rodents.

"But I thought you said the tracks are not fresh?"

"I did, but give me a couple of days and I can bring that deer back." He could use some time away from the camp anyway.

"I'm not comfortable with you being gone for that long on your own, but I trust your skills."

"Not like I need yer permission." And he really didn't need her permission, she's not his keeper.

"I know, just voicing my concern as any normal friend would."

"Yer concern ain't needed, I can take of myself." Daryl tries to hide his discomfort with her calling him her friend. Though, it did have a nice ring to it and Daryl didn't really have friends before the end of the world. Most of those friends from when he was a child grew up and made something of themselves while he stayed behind with Merle and his buddies.

"I know, but i'm allowed to worry." Sarah had grown attached to Daryl since meeting him; his brother is included in this circle.

"Ya ain't gotta worry."

"Merle told me you were tracking a deer before you found me." Sarah looks down, knowing that if she wasn't in the area they would have gotten the deer.

"Merle's got a big mouth."

"Is there really a reason to hide it?"

"I know ya well enough to know that ya would feel guilty about it." He knows she'd feel guilty about it so he never told her.

"I have to admit that I do, that's why I want you to find this deer to make up for the loss." She knows he can handle any dangerous situation he finds himself in, but she'll still worry.

"Just admit yer tired of squirrel."

"I'm really tired of squirrel, Daryl." Sarah confesses cutely.

"Since ya are being honest like a good gurl, i'll git ya a deer."

"Promise me something?"

"What?"

"Make its death quick so it doesn't suffer." If there's one thing Sarah hates, it's animal cruelty.

"I can do that." Daryl always makes sure his kills go quickly.

"Good, when do you plan to leave?" Sarah asks, even though she knows what his answer will be.

"Dunno yet, maybe tomorrow." That deer won't be in the area forever, but if he leaves tomorrow he will have a chance.

"Yeah, the longer you wait, the further that deer will be." Sarah didn't like the idea of Daryl being gone for days, but she really wants to taste venison again and clearly Daryl did too.

""Maybe i'll have Merle tag along." It would give Merle a break from the camp if they left for a couple of days.

"I don't mean to pry, but maybe that's not such a good idea." Sarah looks away and bites her lower lip.

"Why?"

"Because Merle is Merle and I have a feeling finding that deer will take longer if he's with you." Also, Sarah didn't want to be alone at the camp. Sure, everyone is nice to her but she prefers the Dixon brothers.

"He has been pretty talkative lately, ya could be right." Daryl figures he's gotten that way because of Sarah's presence. The man finds amusement in riling the brunette up and Daryl finds her expressions just as amusing.

"He should be in top condition if he's going anywhere." The last thing Sarah wants is for Daryl to get killed because Merle is high on whatever he's taking.

"Yeah, would be nice to be on my own for once." Last time Daryl went with Merle, the older brother scared all the animals away. Daryl had to return to the camp empty-handed.

"Guess you need some alone time."

"Sounds about right."

"Everyone feels that way sometimes. I guess i'm being clingy because I was alone since all this started." Two months on her own had made her become dependent on people, not wanting to feel loneliness anytime soon.

"I forgot about that."

"I'm sure there will be a time when i'll want to be alone again."

"Good luck with that." Nudging his head toward the other campers.

"Yeah, everyone lives in close proximity of each other. Going hunting is a good excuse for you to get away." Sarah didn't have an excuse to wander in the woods.

"Just stay in yer tent, should do the trick."

"Until someone bothers me."

"Like Merle?" Daryl had taken notice that Merle always bugs her the most when she's in her tent.

"Yep, like Merle." Sarah laughs.

"He's been doin' that a lot lately." Daryl voices his observation.

"I've noticed that too, it's almost like he's waiting for me."

"Yeah." Daryl agrees.

"Maybe he's lonely?" Sarah guesses.

"We're talkin' about my brother here."

"I know, but just like people needing to get away from others, there are some who need to be around people."

"He's got no reason to be lonely." After all, Daryl is the only family Merle has left.

"I envy you and Merle."

"Ya envy us?" Daryl never had someone say they envy them before.

"You and your brother are together, but my brothers and I are separated. I don't know how they're doing or if they're even alive." Sarah misses her brothers terribly, she can only hope that they may cross paths someday.

"There's one good thing that comes from it."

"Huh?"

"Ya don't have to see 'em die." Unknown to Sarah, Daryl has watched two of his family members die already since the infected became known to him.

"That may be true, but I have no closure because I don't know what became of them." The chances are she will never find out what happened to her loved ones and she's sure she isn't the only one in the group that is in the same situation as her.

"Never thought of it like that."

"That's okay, I know you were only trying to cheer me up."

"I wasn't."

"I take it that you're speaking from experience?" Sarah didn't know anything about Daryl's family except for Merle.

"Somethin' like that."

"I won't pry." Sarah wants to know more, but thought better of it. If Daryl wants to share that information, he'll do it when he's ready.

"I'll tell ya one day when I feel like it. Anyway, I hate to ask ya to babysit Merle while i'm gone, but would ya?"

"I don't mind."

"Ain't like he can't take care of himself, but I don't want 'im to cause trouble."

"Don't worry, i'll make sure to keep the peace."

"Good."

~TWD~

The day goes mostly normal for the residents of the quarry; that is until Shane call for a camp meeting. Sarah sits next to Daryl and Merle and silently listens to what the former officer had to say. Shane stands in the middle of the gathered group and puts his hands on his hips.

"I'm sure everyone's aware by now that we're low on supplies. On Glenn's last trip, Sarah went with him and brought back enough stuff to last us longer. Seeing as it's getting more dangerous with every trip, I convinced Glenn to take a larger group to Atlanta and gather more supplies. I'm asking for volunteers, i'll let you go as long as you know the risks of going." Shane looks at the faces of every group member, hoping someone will step up to the plate.

The whole camp is silent until Andrea speaks up.

"I'll go." Andrea raises her hand. It's clear on Amy's face that she didn't like the idea of her older sister going into the city.

Sarah isn't surprised Andrea volunteered first, she was never content with doing the laundry or anything resembling housework.

"Anyone else?" Shane looks around.

"Count me in." Mr. Morales volunteers next.

"The more people, the better." Jacqui says.

"What the hell, got nothing else to do." T-Dog volunteers quickly after Jacqui did.

"Sounds like a fun party, i'm in officer." Merle says with a smug face, shocking everyone as Merle never pitches in to do anything.

"Why would you want to go, Merle?" Shane questions Merle's motives. The man never did anything without getting something out of it. Shane would have kicked him out a long time ago, but with Daryl bringing home the bacon he had no choice but to tolerate Merle's behavior.

"Like the black man says, ain't got nothin' else to do."

Sarah silently looks over at Daryl as the scene unfolds. She promised the hunter earlier that she would look after his older brother while he goes hunting. If she wants to keep her promise, she'll have to go back to the city with Merle and the others.

"So, Glenn, Andrea, Morales, Jacqui, T-Dog, and Merle are going to the city tomorrow. If any of you want to back out, you got until tomorrow to do it." Shane declares, looking at the willing volunteers.

Sarah is about to raise her hand to volunteer when Daryl grabs her wrist, silently protesting for her not to do so. She questions herself why he would stop her and not Merle.

"We'll talk after this is over." Daryl whispers to her.

"Okay." Sarah gives in, not wanting to make a scene as Shane speaks for a bit longer before wrapping up the meeting.

~TWD~

"What the hell was that back there?" Daryl questions his older brother after the meeting.

"What's wrong with me goin' to the city?"

"Why do ya even want to go?"

"I'm tired of this place, need a change of scenery." The woods have been a good escape for Merle when he needs to get away from the camp, but even that no longer satisfies him.

"Merle, are your sure you want to go? It's not a pretty sight." Sarah recalls her adventure with Glenn.

"I'm not goin' there to sightsee, Sweetcheeks."

"I'll go with you." Sarah's been there before and she can keep her promise to Daryl regarding Merle.

"No, ya ain't goin' back to the city." Daryl objects.

"Why not?

"There's enough people goin' already."

"'Sides, ya went there last time, let ol' Merle have a turn." Merle grins.

Sarah realizes rather quickly that she's fighting a losing argument. Neither brother is willing to listen to her even though she promised the younger of the pair that she would keep an eye on his brother.

"Fine, do what you want." Sarah leaves the brothers in a huff and stomps over to her tent to cool off.

~TWD~

Daryl couldn't get Sarah's frustrated face out of his mind so as soon as he was done talking to Merle, he walks over to check on her. He finds Sarah sitting in her lawn chair just outside her tent still looking frustrated.

"Yer mad."

"Of course i'm mad, I just promised you that I would make sure Merle wouldn't get in trouble and look what happens?"

"I didn't see this comin'."

"I know, what do we do now?"

"Let Merle do what he wants." Daryl knows what Merle's determined to do something, nothing can stop him.

"And what about me?" With Merle going to the city and Daryl going hunting tomorrow, she's at a loss what to do with herself.

"Ya stay here at the camp."

"Like I have a choice." Sarah pouts.

"Stop poutin' and git over it."

"I'm not pouting." Sarah crosses her arms.

"Yeah yer are, there ain't nothin' we can do about Merle so stop thinkin' 'bout it."

"Are you okay with it?" Sarah asks, curious on how Daryl feels on the matter.

"No, but my brother is a stubborn asshole." Daryl replies.

"That he is, I just hope nothing bad happens."

"Like what?"

"Like running into a large group of those things or starting shit with the group." It's not just Merle's safety she's worried about. The others are at risk too and if Merle starts trouble, everyone is in trouble.

"Ain't nothin' can kill Merle but Merle."

"I don't think the dead will care."

"Don't be a smartass." Daryl growls, even if she did have a point.

"I'm just telling the truth." Sarah shrugs.

"He'll be fine and be back before the day is over tomorrow."

"I don't doubt him, it's just that anything could go wrong and that's what i'm worried about." And she knows she'll continue to worry until Merle come back safely.

"Ya realize he's goin' with a group right?"

"And you realize he doesn't work well with people right?" Sarah can't help but mock his words.

"He's goin' to have to this time."

"I don't like this."

"Ya don't have to, just accept it."

"So just to clarify, you're going on an overnight hunt and Merle is going to Atlanta City tomorrow?"

"Sounds right."

"And what am I supposed to do?" Sarah asks.

"Ya stay here and wait for Merle to come back."

"And not you?"

"Trackin' that deer will take me awhile. Merle will be back by tomorrow evenin' so ya just sit tight."

"Sounds boring." Sarah sighs.

"Boring, but at least it's safe here." Daryl knows for a fact that it won't be safe just because they're away from the big city.

"It won't be safe forever." Sarah says, voicing Daryl's thoughts.

"If things go to shit, we'll take ya with us." Sarah said she would join them anyway and Daryl is used to her presence at this point.

"Really?"

"Someone's gotta do Merle's laundry." Daryl couldn't resist saying.

"Jerk."

Daryl chuckles, enjoying the time with her. It recently occurred to him that he talks to her as if she were part of his family. He found this revelation strange as he would never allow someone to get close to him. Perhaps it's Merle's fondness for her that allows him to drop his guard and become part of their daily lives.

"Ya got any plans?" Daryl suddenly asks.

"Not at the moment, why?"

"Thinkin' we could take a quick look around the woods, maybe find some squirrel."

"I thought we established that we're tired of squirrel?" Sarah complains.

"Gotta have protein, we're just gonna have to deal with it."

"Why do I have to go with you anyway?" Daryl had never invited her to his hunts before.

"Ya don't have to if you don't wanna." Daryl normally would only allow Merle to join him, but Sarah is an exception. Besides, he'll be doing all the hunting, she's just tagging along.

"I got nothing else to do, let's take a quick look around and see if we can find anything." Sarah secretly hopes they don't find any prey because she can't stomach any more squirrel.

"Sounds good."

~TWD~

In the end, Sarah and Daryl didn't find any source of protein near the camp. Apparently their daily camp activities have scared all the nearby rodents off.

"Is it selfish of me to say i'm glad we didn't find any squirrels?"

"Protein is protein." Daryl walks expertly through the woods back towards the camp.

"I know, I know." Sarah sighs.

"No rabbits around too."

"They're fast, could you hunt one with your crossbow?" The brunette asks the hunter.

"Ya bet I can, it's all about timin' when ya aim. It's no different from huntin' squirrels, 'cept squirrels can climb trees."

"So, which one is faster?"

"Rabbits, squirrels pause and insult ya once they're safe in a tree." The only problem with the squirrels being in the trees is that if Daryl misses his shot, there's no way to retrieve his bolt.

"On the bright side, the dead can't catch them." Sarah points out.

"That's true, guess we're lucky."

"That means more for us."

"If we can hunt 'em." Sadly, Daryl had no luck in finding much prey as of late.

"So, are you worried about Merle going to the city tomorrow?" Sarah can't let go of the subject of Merle no matter how hard she tries.

"I ain't gonna lie to ya, I don't like it but like I said, he's a stubborn asshole."

"I don't like it neither." Sarah shakes her head.

"Nothin' we can do about it."

"I know, why does he have to be an asshole? Did he ever stop to consider how we would feel about it?"

"Merle always been like that." Daryl knows Merle thinks of himself first and others later.

"I still don't like it."

"He'll be back, nothin's gonna happen."

"Still don't like it." Sarah repeats.

"Yer not gonna let this go are ya?" Daryl sighs, a bit annoyed.

"Nope."

"He's not a child, Sarah." But he sure needs to be babysat like one.

"I know, but I can't stop worrying about him."

"Merle does git himself into trouble, i'll give ya that much." Daryl admits, remembering the state he found his brother in on the roof of the overrun police station he was doing his jail time in. Shortly before the apocalypse, Merle got arrested and was sent to jail for drug possession. When the dead became a threat, Daryl made a beeline towards Fortana and was surprised to find that Merle escaped his prison and camped out on the roof of the station. He was sunburned and greatly dehydrated, shooting anything on the streets that moved whether they were dead or alive.

"That's why i'm worried."

"Now yer makin' me worried."

"Sorry, but you know how Merle is better than anyone." Sarah hopes to understand Merle better and one way of doing that is talking to Daryl.

"I know, but there ain't no stoppin' Merle."

"Maybe I can convince him."

"Don't even think about it, yer wastin' yer time." There's no changing Merle's mind and Daryl knows it from past experiences.

"But I just can't give up." Sarah whines, pouting.

"Let it go, Sarah."

"But there has to be a way." Sarah pleads.

"Drop it." Daryl growls, tired of the conversation.

"Okay." Sarah says quietly, upset that nothing can be done.

"Merle is tough so stop worryin' 'bout him."

"I know he is." She saw how he took out the dead that surrounded the tree she was stuck in. In the city though, it won't just be a couple of those walking corpses.

"Just let him have his way." The camp comes into Daryl's view, but he decides to hang out in the woods for a bit longer so he sits on a nearby log, Sarah joining him.

"I guess i'll just won't say anything to him." She knows that if she did, an argument would surely be the result.

"Isn't the first time he's run off." In fact, Merle's ran off a lot in Daryl's life. In the end though, he always came back even if it was for a little while before getting into trouble again.

"It isn't?"

"Nah he did it a while back when he wanted revenge on his motorcycle club pals that sold him out." Of course, Merle also wanted to get his bike and mentioned to Daryl that there was something of his at the bar too. Turns out Merle was referring to his crossbow which he liberated from the corpse of one of the Savage Sons.

"And did he get his revenge?" Sarah asks, interested in his tale.

"Yeah, he did. Gunned down every single one of 'em in the back alley. I didn't see it happen though." Daryl remembers what happened before shit went down. Merle didn't just want revenge and his bike, his drugs were in the bar too and Daryl was pissed at Merle for it.

"What do you mean?" Confused that he missed it even though he was there.

"The pricks knocked me out from behind and stole my shit. Woke up and heard the shootout and collected my stuff once the body trail ended." He found his stuff scattered around an open duffel bag. Good thing he found them because the dead showed up moments after.

"What happened after that?"

"We got separated, the shootout attracted those geeks." It didn't escape Daryl's notice that Sarah didn't find Merle's act of revenge disturbing.

"If you got separated, how did you find each other?" Sarah asks.

"He found me, was goin' to get on a evac helicopter when he came out of nowhere in a humvee. Took out a bunch of those dead bastards with 'im before tryin' to get on the helicopter. Merle pulled me out and signaled for it take off without us. Merle said he saw that the pilot was bit and was close to turnin' so we just took the humvee and left."

"Wow Daryl, good thing Merle showed up when he did. Hey, when you get back from your hunt, will you tell me the whole story from when the world ended to now?"

"Why?"

"Because it sounds like quite and adventure and I want to hear it." Sarah's a sucker for stories and Daryl's sounds exciting.

"Ain't a pretty tale."

"I don't care, I bet Merle made things interesting for you."

"Now that I think about it, there was that one incident." Daryl thinks back to the time he was in Lemon Hill with his brother.

"What incident?" Sarah's eyes light up.

"We blew up a church." Daryl says casually.

"Are you serious?" Sarah asks appalled, though it sounds like something the brothers would do.

"We gathered up some fireworks and used 'em to lure those dead bastards in the church."

"But why did you need to do that?"

"We were in Lemon Hill and there was a summer festival at the time the apocalypse hit, so obviously there's goin' to be a lot of people. Those people turned into geeks and they were blockin' our way to Barksdale."

"So you lured them into a church and set it on fire?"

"It was Merle's idea." Merle blew up a nearby gas station while Daryl took care of the church.

"Of course it was Merle's idea." Sarah sighs.

"What, ya religious?" Daryl didn't think Sarah shows any signs of being religious, but didn't think it would hurt to ask.

"Not really, but still."

"We didn't have any options." Actually, they never bothered to come up with any other options but he'll keep that piece of information to himself.

"You guys really did have an adventure getting to this point."

"Yer that interested?" But when Daryl sees the twinkle in Sarah's eyes, he didn't really need an answer.

"You blew up a church, took on a motorcycle club, and fought a horde of dead. I bet you could make a novel out of it." Sarah would definitely read it if such a novel existed.

"I ain't writin' no book, but tell ya what, i'll tell ya the whole story when I get back from my hunt. Merle can fill in the parts I wasn't there for."

"Really?"

"I ain't doin' it for free ya know."

"What?" Sarah frowns.

"Gotta give a little too." Daryl smirks, seeing her reaction.

"So, a tale for a tale?" Sarah questions the hunter.

"Sounds right." Living with three bothers, he's sure Sarah's got some stories to tell.

"Seems fair, you got a deal." At least Sarah will have something to look forward to later.

"Good, suppose we'll be eatin' soon."

"I think i'm going to eat a can of beans this time."

"'Cause yer tired of squirrel?" Daryl asks, a tiny smirk on his face.

"Least i'm not the only one." Sarah smiles.

~TWD~

Night falls and dinner is served to all the camp residents. Sarah silently eats her warm plate of beans next to the Dixons. The brothers prefer to eat away from the group and Sarah found herself joining them most of the time.

"What's wrong with ya, Sweetcheeks?" Merle had taken notice that Sarah had been awfully quiet when within his presence since today's meeting.

"Nothing." Sarah jams a spoon full of beans into her mouth, chewing slowly.

"Leave her be, Merle."

"It's too quiet for my liking." Merle prefers the noise over the quiet.

"Sorry i'm not being a chatterbox." Sarah keeps her attitude towards Merle in check so not to start an argument.

"Well, 'ol Merle wants to chat. So, what were ya doin' with my baby brother in the woods? Were ya two gettin' down 'n' dirty?" Merle asks suggestively knowing it would get her to talk.

Sarah chokes on her food upon hearing the question. She grabs her water bottle and drinks down the contents to wash her food down.

"Merle, knock that shit off." Daryl growls, not in the mood to start shit with his brother.

"I'm being serious, Little D." Though he knows there's nothing going on between the two. He just wants to see Sarah's reaction because he hadn't teased her once today and Merle's day won't be complete without doing so.

"Geez Bro, we were huntin' for squirrel."

"Yeah Merle, get your mind out of the gutter." Sarah's cheeks are flushed red.

"Speakin' of sex, guess who I saw doin' it like a couple of rabbits in the woods?" Merle says, wearing a shit-eating grin.

"You watched two people having sex instead of walking away?"

"I didn't stay for long, not when it's officer asshole and that skinny broad."

"Skinny broad?" Sarah tilts her head in confusion.

"Think she has a kid, the boy?"

"Are you talking about Lori?" Sarah knows that Lori and Shane knew each other before the end of the world, but didn't think their relationship would be a intimate one since Shane is her husband's best friend.

"If that's her name." Merle didn't bother to remember everyone's names since he didn't care much for them.

"But she just lost her husband." A couple days ago during a laundry session, Lori told Sarah about her husband and his unfortunate brush with death after he got shot in the line of duty. He was in a coma at the hospital he was staying at when the power went out. Shane went to fetch Lori's husband when all the machines keeping him alive shut down and with them his life. Shane had no choice but to abandon his friend in order to get Lori and Carl to safety. It seems so strange Lori would move on so quick, falling into the arms of her deceased husband's best friend no less.

"Maybe they were havin' themselves an affair before shit hit the fan."

"If that's true, I lost all respect for her. If she's trying to move on, I think she's moving on too fast."

"Or she's just a whore." Merle shrugs.

"Merle, shame on you!"

"What? Just sayin'."

"It ain't any of our business." Daryl joins the conversation after being silent the whole time.

"That's true, we shouldn't pry." Sarah agrees with the quiet hunter.

"Least someone 'round here is gettin' some."

"Merle!" Sarah slaps Merle's arm.

"C'mon Sweetcheeks, someone had to say it." Merle laughs.

"You couldn't keep it to yourself?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Geez Merle, but it would explain why there's no game in the area." Daryl puts his two cents in.

"Yeah, those two fuckin' and howlin' like animals scared 'em off."

"Let's keep that opinion to ourselves boys." Sarah says, recovered from Merle's earlier comment.

"I ain't callin' 'em out on it, but now I have somethin' to blackmail that officer with."

"How is it blackmail? Lori's husband passed away, there's no crime in what they're doing."

"They're scarin' game away, that's a crime." Merle didn't really care about the loss, he's just glad he's got some firepower he can use against Shane now.

"Can we talk about something above the belt line?"

"Are ya gettin' embarrassed with all this sex talk?" Merle teases.

"No, I would rather talk about your plans for the city." Sarah dropped the subject with Daryl about how to get Merle to stay earlier, but she still wanted to know how Merle was going to work with a group of people he isn't fond of in the slightest.

"Whatcha mean, Sweetcheeks?"

"You can't go into the city without some kind of plan. How do you plan to avoid the dead? How much supplies are you planning to bring back?" Sarah would feel better if Merle had some sort of plan.

"I don't think i'm gonna need to worry about that."

"And why not?"

"I ain't goin' alone. I got others to do the work for me." He's kidding about not doing any of the work, but Sarah takes him seriously.

"Merle, please don't do that."

"Ain't like they like me anyways." And the feeling is mutual.

"That's not the point, Merle. They are trusting you with their lives, they might like you if you help out."

"I don't care what they think of me." And Merle really didn't. They will always think of him as a waste of human life no matter what he did so why make the effort?

"Well, I like you. Promise me you won't do anything reckless?"

"Ain't gonna promise ya that, but i'll give it a shot."

"As long as you try." Sarah says, satisfied with his answer.

"So, what are ya gonna do while i'm gone, Sweetcheeks?"

"I have no idea."

"Ya could always do my laundry" Merle jokes.

"It would give me something to do, i'll get right to it after you leave." Sarah didn't mind doing the laundry for the brothers. It's her way of showing her appreciation for them and their hard work.

"And Daryl told me he's goin' huntin', so I git clean laundry and some venison when I get back."

"I'm looking forward to the some venison myself."

"Those tracks ain't fresh, don't get yer hopes up." Daryl sighs.

"With your skills Daryl, I know you'll bag that deer and bring it home." Sarah smiles, knowing that if anyone can do it, it's Daryl.

"Shut up, eat, and go to bed woman." Daryl says to hide his embarrassment, not used to being complimented by people. Sarah didn't feel insulted though, she figured out quickly it's one of his quirks.

~TWD~

The following morning left a bad taste in Sarah's mouth. She tossed and turned in her sleeping bag all night thinking about Merle's upcoming departure and barely got any sleep as a result. Even Merle's happy mood can't shake off the feeling that something could go wrong.

"Someone's in a happy mood." Sarah says groggily from lack of sleep.

"He's been like that since he woke up." Daryl stands next to her, watching a happy Merle.

"Hooray for him." Sarah says sarcastically.

"Merle might be in a good mood, but yer in a bad one." Daryl had never seen Sarah like this before.

"No shit, Sherlock." Her sarcasm continuing.

"Ya don't have to be a bitch." Daryl's got enough on his plate, he didn't need Sarah's nasty attitude too.

"Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night." Sarah didn't mean to be snippy with the hunter, if anything it's Merle that deserves it.

"'Cause yer worried about Merle?"

"Yeah." Sarah nods.

"Ain't nothin' to worry about."

"I just got a bad feeling I can't shake off." Sarah confesses to Daryl.

"Sarah." Daryl warns, not wanting to have another argument regarding Merle.

"I know, i'm trying to ignore it." Sarah didn't want to get on Daryl's nerves just because she's uneasy.

"Figure they'll leave after breakfast." Daryl informs her knowing she would ask.

"Are you going to see him off before your hunting trip?"

"Yeah, i'll leave after he takes off." Daryl supplies.

~TWD~

After breakfast, the group of six prepares for the journey to the infected city. Sarah watches silently as Merle checks his rifle to make sure it's in working condition because the last thing he needs is to have a malfunctioning gun against a crowd of the dead.

"How long are ya gonna stare at me, Sweetcheeks? If ya want me, ol' Merle can take ya for a spin." Merle's eyes lewdly stare at the brunette, focusing on her breasts.

"Very funny, Merle. Do you have everything you need for the supply run?" Sarah knows Merle just wants to get a reaction out of her and knows he's only kidding.

"Just checkin' my gun, already packed some ammo the pig gave me." Merle says, leaving all jokes aside.

"Don't get too carried away in Atlanta, Merle. You have people on you this time." She likes the other survivors and would hate to have something happen to them because of Merle's recklessness.

"Yeah yeah, ol' Merle will help 'em out." He didn't care much for the other five traveling with him and he won't shed a tear if any of them died on this trip, but he knows Sarah had a soft spot for them.

"Good, Glenn's been there so many times that it should go smoothly."

"Uh huh, that why ya got attacked by one 'em?"

"We thought the place was clear, don't blame Glenn for that." Sarah wants to forget about that experience, but she doubt she will any time soon.

"Just sayin' I gonna agree with the Chinese kid if it don't feel right."

"Go with your instincts, Merle. Just come back safely with the others."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Merle waves her off so he finish his preparations.

~TWD~

The time had finally come for Merle and the other to take off. After having her talk with Merle, Sarah feels a lot better with letting him go to Atlanta.

"Yer lookin' better than ya did this mornin'." Daryl kept his distance from Sarah until she was more like herself. Seems like he made the right call.

"Yeah, i'm more content now. Sorry about giving you sass this morning." Sarah watches Merle load some large empty duffel bags into back of one of two cars they'll be taking, one car being Glenn's.

"We're good." Daryl accepts her apology.

"You all set to go too?"

"Yep, just waitin' for Merle to take off." Daryl crosses his arms.

"I don't think you'll have to wait long, he's walking this way." Sarah says as Merle approaches the two.

"Packed all our gear, looks like we're ready to go." Merle looks back behind him to see everyone else saying their goodbye's as well.

"Watch yourself out there, Merle."

"And don't git yerself killed." Daryl adds.

"Ain't no biter gonna kill me, i'll be back before dinner time. Ya best git that deer little brother, I want some deer meat by tomorrow night."

"Ya worry about them dead assholes and i'll worry about the deer."

"Okay you two, say your goodbyes and be on your way. I have laundry to do and the laundry isn't going to clean themselves." Sarah didn't want the two to leave, but the sooner they leave, the sooner they return to camp.

"Does ol' Merle git a hug?" Merle spreads his arms out, inviting her.

"I suppose I can do that." Sarah wraps her arms around Merle's waist for a hug and while he's hugging back, his hand slips down to her ass, giving it a nice firm squeeze.

"Merle."

"Yes, Sweetcheeks?"

"Get your hand off my ass."

"Yes ma'am." Merle ends the hug and removes his hand from her backside.

"Now get out of here." Sarah sends him off with a smile. She wants to hit him, but knows her reaction is exactly what he wants so she keeps her cool.

"See ya two later." Merle walks off toward one of the cars where the others are waiting for him. He gets in the car and waves his hand out of the window as the group of six drives off toward their destination.

"Well, i'm headin' out." Daryl adjusts the strap of his crossbow on his shoulder.

"Be careful, Daryl." Sarah knows he'll be fine, but will worry anyway.

"Will do, take care of things here while i'm gone." Daryl puts his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before heading into the direction of the woods leaving Sarah alone without the brothers for the first time since she arrived at the Quarry.

~TWD~

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading and please leave a review! We'll be getting into season one in the next chapter!

 **Fun Facts Time (Glenn):** Fact #1: Glenn has been captured four times, more than any other character.


	8. Trapped

**A/N:** I'm so sorry for the long wait! Editing can be quite a bitch sometimes! It's just an hour short of entering the year of 2017, so Happy New Year everyone! This is my New Year's present to you! Anyway, thank you all so much for favoring, following, and reviewing! Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own "The Walking Dead" or any of its characters. "The Walking Dead" belongs to Robert Kirkman and AMC. I only own Sarah.

~TWD~

The camp is a lot more quiet without the brothers around and Sarah can't help but feel lonely due to their absence. She wishes the supply run would end soon soon so she could at least have Merle to keep her company.

"I didn't realize I was so attached to them until now." Sarah says to herself, wringing out Merle's shirt.

"Who are you talking to?" Amy appears out of nowhere, seemingly lost without her sister just as Sarah is lost without the Dixon brothers.

"Myself." Sarah says, finding no point in hiding the fact.

"You know that talking to yourself is a sign of insanity right?"

"And can you blame me with everything that has happened?" Referring to Merle's departure.

"You have a point." Any says, thinking about Andrea.

"Are you worried about your sister?" Sarah already knows the answer, but she would rather talk to Amy than herself.

"Yeah, but she's always been independent and here I am, clinging to her like some monkey." Amy always wanted to connect with her sister, but their twelve year age difference makes things difficult.

"I'm the youngest too, I was the same way with my brothers so you're not alone." She always clung to her older brothers, especially her oldest brother, John.

"How many brothers do you have?" Amy asks.

"Three."

"Wow, three brothers." Amy says in awe.

"Yep." Sarah scrubs away at a dirt stain on Daryl's pants.

"Must have been rough for you, being the only girl."

"It wasn't so bad." If Sarah was in any kind of trouble, she knew she could turn to her brothers for help when she needed it.

"Are you worried about them?" Amy looks out toward the direction of Atlanta; the current location of her sister.

"Daryl and Merle?" Sarah asks, not sure if Amy is referring to her brothers or the Dixons.

"Yeah." Amy nods.

"Of course i'm worried about them. Maybe i'm just like you, maybe i'm clinging to them too." The way she acted when Merle volunteered for the next supply run proves it.

"Daryl seems very capable, but Merle seems... unstable." Amy says, not sure how she should properly word it.

"Amy, they're both unstable, you just have to press the wrong buttons to piss them off." Lucky for her, she's only pissed Daryl off and it wasn't so bad.

"You know what's weird? You are the only person those two tolerate being around them."

"Because I didn't judge them on their background. I judged them based on their character. No one is born an asshole, events in life make them that way." And the choices they make in their lives can also make things worse.

"I never thought of it like that." Amy never took into account what the Dixons went through before the end of the world.

"No one ever does." Sarah sighs.

"But you do." Amy states.

"I've met plenty of guys like those two."

"You have?" It would make sense since Sarah handles the Dixons so well.

"Yeah, men like them are simply misunderstood and are looking for a place to belong. I think Daryl and Merle are still searching for that special place." Sarah hopes she can help them reach that special destination someday.

"A place to belong?" Amy didn't understand her meaning.

"It's not just those two that are searching. We're all looking for a place to belong, Amy."

"Are you still searching?" Amy asks, curious to what the brunette's answer is.

"I have found a home with Daryl and Merle." While Sarah misses her family very much, she feels that she found a place with the two brothers.

"You haven't even known them for very long." Then again, Amy didn't know Sarah very well neither, but she's very easy to talk to.

"With the world the way it is, I got a feeling I will have plenty of time to get to know them." Sarah hopes she'll be able to stay with Daryl and Merle for the long haul.

"Yeah, I guess we're all stuck together."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Sarah laughs.

"Not really a bad thing, just that we don't really know each other that well at all. What if one of us is a serial killer or something?" Amy is a little scared at the thought.

"I think you've watched too many movies. If there is someone like that in our group, we let Shane handle it. He was a cop before this after all."

"That's true." Though Amy isn't really convinced.

"I doubt there's a killer among us, so don't worry about it." If there was, they'd be finding fresh dead bodies around or near the camp.

"I guess it's a strange thing to bring up." Amy says, embarrassed.

"No, it's good to be suspicious of people, it could save your life." But sometimes letting your guard down could give you the same result. Trusting Daryl and Merle when Sarah first met them is a good example.

"Well, I know Ed gives be the shivers." Amy says, while they're on the subject of suspicious people.

"He doesn't give be good vibes either."

"I swear he gives me this look like he's undressing me with his eyes." Amy shivers.

"I felt him doing the same thing whenever I walk by him. I was too afraid to say anything though." Sarah finds comfort in the fact that she's not the only one that feels this way.

"I think he hurts Carol." Amy confesses.

"What makes you think he's hurting Carol?" Carol is such a caring and sweet woman that wouldn't hurt a fly.

"She always has fresh bruises on her arms."

"I never noticed." Sarah says, ashamed. She's been more focused on the Dixons than the people around her.

"You don't think Sophia is being abused as well?" If so, something needs to be done before it gets worse.

"It's possible, but Carol doesn't strike me as the kind of woman that would stand by and allow her daughter to be harmed. She might be taking the brunt force of Ed's attacks."

"I haven't seen any injuries on Sophia, so maybe you're right." Amy looks relieved.

"Does Shane know?" This kind of thing should be right up Shane's alley. Every cop has been called to a house due to domestic violence.

"I have no idea, do you think we should mention it to him?" Maybe Shane could do something if they bring it to his attention.

"We have no proof that Ed is the culprit." But who else would want to harm Carol than her lazy ass husband?

"We should ask Carol." Amy suggests.

"I think she would be too afraid to tell anyone. If Carol is being abused, Ed would have her on a tight leash."

"Even Shane?" Carol could at least ask for help from the former cop.

"There's not much Shane can do if Carol won't seek help."

"I feel so powerless." Amy wishes she could do something, but she's no match for Ed.

"The only person that can save Carol, is Carol herself." Hopefully, Carol will find the courage to escape Ed once and for all.

"Maybe Ed will get bitten by one of those things, would solve everything." Amy pouts.

"That it would." Sarah won't shed a single tear for a man that hurts his own family just to show dominance.

"When do you think they'll be back?" Amy asks, dropping the subject about Carol's situation.

"If things go smoothly, in a few hours."

"And if they don't?" Amy questions.

"Then i'm going after them." But the city is huge, so finding the supply run group will be a problem for Sarah.

"Not without me you won't." Amy declares, refusing to stay back at camp while her sister could be in trouble in Atlanta.

"I won't leave without you." Sarah promises.

"Good."

"If they're not back in a few hours, we'll head out there." Hopefully, Shane will lend them a vehicle.

"I've never been in Atlanta before, is it really as bad as Glenn says?" Amy has heard the stories, but could only take Glenn's word for it until now.

"The best way I can describe it is that it looks like a war zone."

"I wish my sister didn't go there." All Amy can do is pray that Andrea's alright.

"You're not alone with that thought. I wish Merle didn't go neither." Hopefully, Merle isn't having too much trouble working with the other members of the group.

"Why didn't you go with them?" Amy thought Sarah would volunteer since she's been there before, but was a little surprised when she didn't.

"I wanted to, but Daryl said enough people volunteered so there was no need." Even though she knew Daryl was right, Sarah wishes she didn't listen to him.

"Are you sure that was his only reason?"

"What are you getting at?" Sarah questions the blond.

"Maybe Daryl didn't want you to go because he cares about you." Amy is a bit of a romantic. Even though she hasn't seen Daryl show any romantic interest in Sarah yet, she wouldn't be surprised if it came to fruition in the future.

"I know he cares for me in his own way."

"You do?" Amy asks, interested.

"If he didn't, he wouldn't have given me his hunting knife before I went to Atlanta with Glenn." It was a good thing too that Daryl gave Sarah the knife since it saved her life in Atlanta.

"He did that?" Amy's opinion on Daryl is now starting to change after hearing this.

"Yeah, he even let me keep it when I tried to return it to him." Sarah points down at the knife resting against her hip.

"I didn't know."

"I feel safer now that I have it." Sarah touches the sheathed blade that has kept her safe from the moment she received it.

"Andrea has a gun, it was a gift from our dad." Andrea currently has it with her.

"Shane let her keep it?" Shane took Sarah's gun when she arrived.

"Yeah, since it was hers to begin with." Not to mention it has sentimental value since the fate of their father is unknown.

"Why would your dad give you a gun anyway?" Not that it's a bad idea, but Sarah is curious.

"We were on a road trip together and dad didn't want us to go unprotected." Although Amy never touched the gun.

"Smart man. If I had daughters traveling on their own, i'd do the same thing." Better to be safe than sorry in Sarah's opinion.

"Except we're not trained to use it." Which makes having the gun pointless.

"Maybe Shane will teach Andrea and yourself how to shoot."

"Andrea won't even let me touch a gun, let alone use one." Amy pouts.

"I think everyone should learn how to use a gun." Having everyone learn would help the group in the long run.

"Do you know how to use a gun?" Amy asks.

"Yes, my dad and uncle taught me." Sarah smiles at the memory of when she first shoot a gun. Turned out she was a natural shot and her dad was very proud of her.

"See? If your dad will let you learn how to use a gun, Andrea should too."

"She's just being an overprotective sister. My brothers were like that with me too." Of course, over the years that overprotective behavior lessened to just being protective.

"But i'm an adult, I don't need her protection." Amy rolls her eyes.

"To her, you will always be her baby sister no matter how old you get. I think my brothers felt the same way too even when I entered adulthood. I used to find it annoying, but I realized it was their way of saying that they loved me." Sarah's sure that they're worried about her at this very moment; not knowing if she's dead or alive.

"I want to protect her too, but I have to learn to protect myself first."

"I think you're right." Sarah nods.

"Could you teach me?" Amy doubts Shane would give her lessons. He's too busy leading the group.

"I think you need to have a talk with Andrea first. Do you really want to lose your sister's trust?" Sarah didn't want to get on Andrea's bad side for teaching her little sister how to protect herself without her knowledge.

"No."

"Then talk to your sister when she gets back. I'm sure once you tell her your feelings on the matter that she'll agree that you should learn to defend yourself." Learning something together might help the sisters bond.

"I don't like it, but I know you're right." Amy sighs, defeated.

"Of course i'm right, it's never a good idea to go behind a sibling's back."

"You speak from experience?"

"Yeah and trust me, I got punished for it." Sarah pales thinking about the things her brothers did to punish her whenever she hid something from them or did something she wasn't supposed to do.

"Like what?" Amy asks, interested.

"Like having cold water thrown on me while i'm sleeping." Her 'punishments' were normally pranks or a good lecture.

"That's awful!" But Amy can't help but laugh a little.

"When you have three brothers, it's to be expected." But what Sarah didn't tell Amy is that sometimes she got her brothers back if she felt her 'punishments' were unjust.

"Glad I only have Andrea then." Amy laughs, glad to be brother-free.

"Especially at the end of the world." It's nice to have someone you know around in times of crisis.

"That's true. A lot of people never got the chance to find their families."

"Yeah." Sarah thinks of her own family.

"I hope you get to see your family again someday." Amy is glad she's got Andrea, but will likely never know what became of her parents.

"Me too, Amy, me too." Sarah sighs as she finishes the laundry.

~TWD~

Not long later after her conversation with Amy, Sarah is hanging out with Dale while she waits for the laundry to dry.

"You're being pretty productive today, young lady." Dale takes note of all the laundry Sarah had done.

"I need something to do to get my mind off of Merle and the others."

"Just as Dale is about to say something, the radio nearby starts crackling and produces a man's voice.

"Hello. Hello, can anybody hear my voice?" The voice is barely made out.

Amy, having just returned from grabbing sticks for the evening fire, drops everything and rushes over to the radio.

"Can you hear my voice?" The man on the radio repeats.

"Hey. Hello? Yes, I can you. You're coming through. Over." Amy speaks, but her response seems to not get through to the stranger.

"If anybody reads, please respond. Broadcasting on emergency channel. Will be approaching Atlanta on Highway 85. If anybody reads, please respond."

Amy decides to try again to reach the man.

"We're just outside the city." But the only thing everyone nearby hears is the crackling of the radio.

"Damn it." Amy curses as she tries one more time.

"Hello? Hello? He couldn't hear me. I couldn't warn him." Referring to the dangers of the city.

"Try to raise him again." Dale points to the radio.

Shane returns from chopping some logs in the nick of time.

"Come on, Son, you know best how to work this thing." Dale says as Shane embeds the axe he's holding into the stump next to the radio and takes over for Amy.

"Hello, hello. Is the person who called still on the air?" Shane pauses for a moment before trying again.

"This is officer Shane Walsh broadcasting to person unknown. Please respond." Again, nothing my static.

"He's gone." Shane gives up.

"There are others. It's not just us." Lori speaks up.

"We knew there would be, right? That's why we left the CB on." Shane briefly glances at Sarah, her being here is proof that there are others out there.

"A lot of good it's been doing. And i've been saying for a week we ought to put signs on 85 and warn people to stay away from the city." Lori makes a good point.

"Folks got no idea what they're getting into." Amy thinks of her sister, wondering how she is holding up in the city.

"I agree with Lori, not everyone knows how dangerous the city is and they should be warned before it's too late for them." Sarah says, knowing all too well what the city is like.

"Well, we haven't had time." Shane says, standing up.

"I think we need to make time." Lori demands.

"Yeah, that... that's a luxury we can't afford. We are surviving here. We are day to day." Shane didn't like where this conversation is going.

"And who the hell would you propose we send?" Dale asks.

"I'll go. Give me a vehicle." Lori says, determined.

"Nobody goes anywhere alone. You know that." Shane clearly looks uncomfortable arguing with Lori.

"Yes sir." Lori stomps off, Carl following her until Shane stops him from going further.

"Hey hey hey. Go on, take a seat, bud. You're alright. Go on. You're alright." Shane assures the boy before chasing after Lori.

"Well, at least we know there are other people out there." Sarah says.

"And they're heading right into danger." Heading right to where Andrea is.

"It sucks, but there's nothing we can do for now." Though Sarah thinks Lori's idea about warning people with signs should be put into play.

"I'm going to get some rest. Can you stay here and let me know if Andrea or anyone else radios in?" Amy yawns at the end of her question.

"Sure, got nothing else to do."

~TWD~

Sarah keeps herself within earshot of the radio near Shane. She didn't want to let Any down and she also wants to know about the condition of the others as soon as possible.

"You've been staring at the radio for over an hour, Sarah." Shane says.

"They haven't checked in yet, i'm worried."

"You're only worried about Merle Dixon." Shane hides his disgust as best he can for the mentioned man.

"I'm worried about everyone." Sarah remembers the faces of every person who volunteered to go into Atlanta.

"They're fine, probably just gathering supplies." Shane isn't too worried unlike Sarah.

"Or they ran into the dead." Sarah hopes they didn't run into that large group of the dead that Glenn and herself barely escaped from.

"You're as bad as the brothers, hovering over the radio like a couple of morons." Shane shakes his head.

"What?" Sarah didn't know what Shane is talking about.

"You're doing the same thing they did." Shane remembers them taking turns being near the radio and they were just about to switch, Shane himself couldn't wait anymore and radioed in.

"Being concerned for other human beings?" She's concerned about Merle the most, but she's worried about the others too.

"Over-worrying like a mother hen."

"I don't think Merle will work well with the other volunteers." Sarah voices her concern.

"I could have told you that." But Shane couldn't turn down Merle's help just because he didn't like him or his brother.

"I wanted to go with him to keep him in check." Even though she never wants to go back to the city again, she'd do it if she has to.

"What stopped you?"

"The other Dixon." Sarah sighs.

"I noticed you were about to raise your hand when he stopped you." Shane recalls the meeting from the day before.

"He said enough people were going." But harm could one more person do?

"Six people is a lot, for once Dixon made the right call." Too many people gone would make the camp weaker.

"Maybe I am worrying too much. It's just Daryl and Merle saved my life and I want to support them in return." Maybe she should stop worrying about them and believe in them instead. She saw how well they handled themselves when they first met so this time should be no different.

"Being over-protective isn't the right way to do it." Then again, Shane feels the same way about Lori and Carl so he understands how Sarah feels.

"Yeah, hopefully Merle will behave." Though Sarah doubts it.

"That's like asking a poisonous snake not to bite you."

"He's not that bad." Sarah says.

"He's an ass." Shane voices his opinion.

"Only if he finds them unworthy of his respect." Sarah noticed that if people are polite to him, he's less rude to them.

"And i'm unworthy how?"

"You're a cop." The answer is pretty obvious.

"And he's a drug dealer." Shane's cop instincts tell him Merle has drugs, but has no proof.

"Well, he can't deal drugs anymore." One of the good things to come out of the apocalypse. Sarah also realizes that she just confirmed Shane's suspicions about Merle's drug habit.

"Doesn't change the fact that he used to." But he knows Sarah makes a good point.

"Shane, we have a fresh start in this world. That also includes former drug dealers." Sadly, this fresh start comes at a high price in the form of the dead.

"Are you saying he will change his ways?" If there's one thing Shane knows about criminals is that most of the time, they become repeat offenders.

"It's not going to happen overnight, but I believe in him." Sarah knows Merle is a good person, just like his brother.

"And the other one?"

"Other one?" Sarah looks at the former cop, puzzled.

"Daryl." Shane supplies.

"I know he can be hot-tempered, but otherwise he's a good person." Daryl has shown her many times that he is a kind soul.

"What makes you say that?"

"He doesn't sugarcoat anything, he's blunt and straight to the point." Of course being blunt isn't always the right course of action.

"Any that's a good thing?" Shane asks.

"In this world, yes."

"So, you don't see them as a danger to others?" Shane asks, thinking of Lori and Carl.

"Of course not. Besides, anyone can be dangerous." Sarah says.

"Anyone?"

"Yes, at least that's what I believe." Even the kindest person can turn out to be the most cruel.

"It's not a bad thing to believe, good to be cautious." As a cop, Shane always had to be cautious.

"In a world so out of control, yes it is."

"Kinda curious, but were you cautious when you met the Dixons?" Shane asks, curious about her first impression of the brothers.

"Yeah, I was. But, it was either them or the dead. You can't negotiate with the dead." While she was scared of the Dixons at first, she knew that she couldn't be on her own forever.

"But the living are unpredictable." Being a cop taught him this.

"I was taking a big risk when I agreed to follow them to camp. In the end though, it was the right decision." If she hadn't, she would be dead right now.

"You're lucky we aren't bad people."

"Yeah, i'm so glad they found me." Even though she's only been with the Dixon brothers for awhile, she considers them like family.

"So, you're going to stay here until someone in Atlanta radios us?" Shane gets back to their earlier subject.

"Amy is getting some rest at the moment and I promised her I would wait by the radio in case anyone radios in while she's sleeping."

"Is Amy worried about Andrea?" Shane asks the young woman.

"Andrea is all she has left." She knows how Amy feels, seeing that Merle is also in Atlanta.

"I'm surprised she volunteered." Shane expected only the men to volunteer, so he was surprised when Andrea and Jacqui did so.

"I don't think she's content doing the laundry. She strikes me as the kind of woman that likes to do the men's work." Not that it's a bad thing as Sarah feels the same way, but doesn't mind doing women's work like Andrea does.

"She does give that independent vibe." Shane agrees.

"I wish Andrea would have considered Amy's feelings." Then again, Merle also didn't consider Sarah's feelings or Daryl's neither.

"Merle did the same thing to you though." Shane voices Sarah's thoughts.

"Yeah, but everyone looks down on him. I don't like that he's walking into danger, but it's a chance for him to prove his worth to everyone." Even if it means she's going to worry the whole time.

"Don't expect him to win me over anytime soon."

"I wasn't counting on it." Sarah laughs, knowing they will never get along.

"Still, why did he volunteer? It's not like he gives a shit about us." It's been bugging Shane the whole time, so he thought Sarah can shed some light on the subject.

"He wanted a change of scenery." Sarah wonders if that was is only reason for leaving.

"That's it?" The former cop questions.

"If he has a hidden agenda, he didn't tell me."

"Sorry, it's just him volunteering is fishy." Shane knows Merle Dixon doesn't give a shit about the group with Daryl and Sarah being the only exception.

"To be honest, I was surprised too." And she wasn't the only one surprised.

"He has to have a hidden motive. He doesn't do things out of the goodness of his heart." At least, not without getting something out if it.

"I really don't know Shane. Can't you just accept that maybe he doesn't have a personal motive?" Though it's quite possible he does.

"We're talking about Merle Dixon here."

"Yes we are and Merle Dixon and his brother saved my life without gaining anything out of it." If anything, it was Sarah that gained something from that faithful meeting. She gained her life and a safe place to stay with good people.

"You're on their laundry detail." Shane points out.

"Because I offered, they didn't force me to do it." Besides, no one else was willing to do it and Sarah found that unfair that their laundry was being neglected while everyone else's got done.

"And Daryl took you into the woods alone."

"He asked if I wanted to tag along on one of his hunts." It was the first and only time he's invited her.

"That was it?" Shane raises his eyebrows at her answer.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because." Shane didn't want to outright say it.

Sarah didn't understand what Shane is trying to say at first. When it dawns on her what he believes Daryl's motives were when he invited her, she got angry at the suggestion.

"Wait a minute, are you suggesting that Daryl invited me just so he could try to have sex with me?" Sarah asks, wanting to confirm her theory.

"I didn't say that." Shane panics, seeing the angry look in the brunette's face.

"Yeah, but you implied it." Sarah tries to keep a lid on her temper.

"The man is hard to read and quick to anger." Even though he has never seen Daryl being violent towards anyone, Shane wouldn't put it past him.

"He would never do something like that!" She trusts Daryl with her life and would have never gone in the woods with him if she didn't.

"He's still unpredictable."

"Shane, those brothers have never done anything to harm me. Merle might talk dirty, but that's it." Sarah gets a grip on her anger and calms down.

"I'm sorry, i'm just looking out for everyone." Mostly, Lori and Carl.

"I know you are, you're just going after the wrong people."

"You sound like you have someone in mind." If someone around the camp is going to pose a danger to others, Shane wants to know about it.

"I do." Her conversation with Amy earlier brought someone's actions into question.

"Who?" Shane asks, his curiosity piqued.

"Ed."

"Ed Peletier?" Shane never liked the man, always rude to everyone much like Merle.

Sarah nods, confirming Shane's question.

"He's been abusing Carol." At least, according to Amy.

"He has?" Shane focuses on Lori and Carl so much that he didn't notice.

"I wasn't aware of it at first. Shouldn't your instincts as a cop tell you something is wrong?"

"If what you say is true, i'll pay more attention to Ed in the future." He will not tolerate violence at the camp, especially against women and young children.

"How will that help Carol and her daughter?" Sarah asks, not satisfied.

"I need to catch him in the act." Shane would look like a fool if Sarah's accusation turns out to be false. He already looks foolish enough after being wrong about Daryl's intentions with Sarah on that trip in the woods.

"Where's the justice in that if there's no law?" It's not like they can take Ed to jail or something.

"There will always be law." But now, Shane isn't so sure of that anymore.

"I'm talking about right now, Shane. Right now, there is no law to protect us." Sarah wants to do something to help Carol, no matter how small.

"Look, the moment I see Ed hurt anyone, he'll get what's coming to him." When he catches Ed hurting his wife, Shane will make sure it never happens again.

"Do I have your word?"

"You have my word, I promise." Lori would never look at him in the eye if he let Ed get away with hurting Carol.

~TWD~

Sarah keeps close to the radio even after Amy wakes up from her nap. Amy paces back and forth wondering why the supply group is taking so long while Dale and Jim are tinkering with the RV engine. Shane is teaching Carl how to tie knots with a rope as Lori watches over them whole she takes down her laundry.

At that moment, the radio sparks to life. Shane stops mid-lesson with Carl and stares at the radio before getting up to make contact with whoever is radioing in.

"Hello, base camp! Can anybody out there hear me?" A familiar voice calls out.

Everyone stops what they're doing and rushes over toward the radio, hoping it's the group they sent to Atlanta. Amy carefully listens, praying for good news.

"Base camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me?"

Dale beats Shane to it as he climbs up on the Rv when they moved the radio earlier.

"Hello? Hello? Reception's bad on this end. Repeat. Repeat." Dale says into the receiver.

"Shane, is that you?" T-Dog mistakes Dale for Shane.

"Is that them?" Lori asks, but no one answers her question.

"We're in some deep shit. We're trapped in the department store." T-Dog breaks the bad news.

"He say they're trapped?" Shane rubs the back of his head.

"There are geeks all over the place. Hundreds of 'em. We're surrounded." T-Dog's voice is replaced with static.

"T-Dog, repeat that last. Repeat." Dale says, but like with the stranger on the radio earlier, there is nothing but static.

"He said the department store." Lori says.

"I heard it too." Dale confirms.

Sarah watches as Lori approaches Shane.

"Shane?"

"No way. We do not go after them. We do not risk the rest of the group. Y'all know that." Knowing exactly what Lori is about to suggest.

"So, we're just going to leave her there?" Amy asks, clearly upset at her sister's possible demise.

"Look, Amy, I know that this is not easy-" Shane begins to say, but Amy interrupts him.

"She volunteered to go to help the rest of us." Amy's mind can't accept what is happening, that her sister is getting left behind.

"I know, and she knew the risks, right? See, if she's trapped, she's gone. So we just have to deal with that. There's nothing we can do." As much as it pains him to say it, there's nothing they can do without risking the lives of the camp.

"She's my sister, you son of a bitch." Amy walks away before taking off into a run to get away from everyone else.

Lori stares at Shane for a long moment before taking off after Amy.

"Amy..." Lori follows after the young blond.

Shane gives his attention to Carl while Lori takes care of Amy.

"Come on. It's alright, buddy." Shane rubs the top of Carl's head before resting his arm over it.

Sarah decides that she is not going anywhere away from the radio, not willing to give up on Merle or the others. The Dixons did that for her and they didn't even know her that well. If push comes to shove, she'll keep her promise to Amy and go to the city to fetch the group.

~TWD~

Unfortunately, the radio stays silent making Sarah uneasy. She has to keep reminding herself that the reception is bad and that is the only reason she hopes that they can't contact the camp and not that they could be dead.

"It's been too long."

"There's nothing we can do for them." Shane says.

"I hope they're alive." Especially Merle, but she's grown attached to Glenn as well.

"They got Glenn, they should be alright." If anyone can get the supply group out of the city safely, it's Glenn.

"You're right, Glenn knows how to get out of tight spots."

"Who wants to bet Merle is the one that got them in trouble?" Shane won't be surprised if Merle started something.

"I bet it was not him." Sarah defends Merle.

"Okay, what do you think happened?"

"I think they ran into a huge group of those things and trapped themselves in the department store." Sarah recalls T-Dog mentioning there were hundreds of the dead nearby so her theory might be dead on.

"That's possible, but Glenn is always careful."

"There's always room for error, Shane." Besides, Glenn didn't go into the city alone. Going with one extra person is one thing, but a whole group is another.

"But do you think they can escape?" Shane can't see a solution for a successful escape without loss of life.

"Yes, I know they will." They have to, for everyone's sake.

"What makes you think so?"

"Just a feeling." Hopefully, she proves to be right.

"And if they don't come back?" Shane really didn't want to think of this possibility, but he has to accept reality.

"I'll go after them." Sarah declares.

"No you won't, no one is leaving." The less people, the more vulnerable they are.

"I would like to give a suggestion before you shut me down then."

"Alright, i'll hear you out." It wouldn't hurt to hear what she has to say.

"We wait until tomorrow and if no one shows up, you just send me to Atlanta."

"I already said no one is going into Atlanta, especially alone." He already announced this to everyone else.

"What if I go as a scout? Lori mentioned that we should put up signs to warn people. I think this is as good of a time as any to get it done." Sarah will not give up on Merle though, she downright refuses to.

"Why? We don't even know if the group is dead."

"If Glenn is dead, who's going to get our supplies in the future? Think about it, if we put up those signs and people stay away, more supplies for us." Sarah knows this will get Shane's attention.

"I didn't think about that." Sarah is the only one that's been in the city, so she's the only one qualified to go on supply runs if Glenn doesn't return.

"So, can I go tomorrow?" Sarah asks.

"Alright, but only to put up signs outside of the city and you go alone." Shane gives in, not liking that he has to risk losing another member of the group.

"You got it."

~TWD~

Sarah decides to tell Amy that she got permission from Shane to go near Atlanta tomorrow if the group doesn't return by the end of the day.

"So, Shane is letting you go to Atlanta?" Amy asks after hearing the news from Sarah.

"Only if they don't return by tonight." If they don't, Sarah will leave for Atlanta first thing in the morning. It's best for her to leave before Daryl shows up, because she knows he'll stop her from going just like with the supply run.

"Can I go with you?" Amy wants to go even though she won't be of much help.

"Shane says only I can go." Sarah breaks the bad news to Amy.

"That's not fair!" Amy is tired of sitting around while her only family is in danger.

Sarah puts her hands on Amy's shoulders to calm her down.

"Listen to me Amy, Shane only wants me to put up warning signs and come back, but i'm going to disobey Shane and look for Merle, Andrea, and the others." Sarah can't let the opportunity pass up. Besides, Daryl would do the same thing if he was in her shoes.

"You will?" Amy tears up.

"You bet." Sarah smiles at the blond.

"But wait, what will you do when Shane finds out?" Amy didn't want Sarah to get in trouble.

"I'll deal with it." If it means getting Merle and the others back, she'll take any punishment Shane dishes out.

"Are you going to leave in the morning?" Amy asks.

"Yeah, that will give me plenty of daylight to look around." It won't hurt to gather some supplies to ease her punishment from Shane.

"Please find them, okay?" Amy begs the brunette.

"Don't say that until tomorrow. They could be back later today." Sarah hopes so, she really didn't want to go back to the city.

"But they're trapped."

"A couple of hours ago they were, who knows if they are now?" They could have escaped since the last time they heard from them.

"So, they could be on their way back now?" If Andrea makes it back, Amy will never let her go on another supply run again.

"It's possible."

"That would be awesome!" Amy says, eager to see her sister again.

"Yeah, I don't want to be the one to tell Daryl the bad news if Merle doesn't return." With Daryl out hunting, he has no idea that his only brother is in trouble.

"Oh yeah, that's right." Amy completely forgot about Daryl.

"I don't want to think about it." Sarah remembers the first time Daryl got angry at her and from what she's heard from the other campers, she got lucky.

"I don't think Daryl will take it out on you."

"What makes you think he won't?" Sarah asks.

"Well, he likes you. He's not going to blame you if something happens to Merle." Hopefully Merle will make it back with the others so that way, that confrontation can be avoided.

"He's going to take it out on someone."

"Most likely Shane." Hell, Amy wanted to hit Shane the second he said he wasn't going to send anybody out there to help them.

"Sending a group to Atlanta was his idea." Merle getting killed in Atlanta is just the excuse Daryl needs to punch Shane in the face.

"See? So don't worry about Daryl."

"I'm going to worry and keep worrying till those two return safe." Only then can she relax.

"Guess we're in the same boat." Amy sighs.

"I'm going to find them, Amy." And when she does find them, she won't let her redneck friend out of her sight.

"I don't doubt you." Amy knows Sarah will succeed and bring back the people they love.

~TWD~

It was mid-day when the sound of a car alarm broke the silence of the quarry. Everyone is on high alert trying to pinpoint the noise that echoes throughout the quarry. The noise gets closer to their camp and everyone wonders if the driver of the vehicle is a friend or foe.

"Hey, Dale, can you see what that is?" A man asks Dale since he's sitting atop the RV.

"Talk to me, Dale!" Shane leaves Lori and Carl to see what's going on.

"I can't tell yet." Dale looks through a pair of binoculars.

"Let him get a good look at it." A fellow camper says.

The car alarm noise gets closer to the camp and everyone is clearly anxious.

"Is it them? Are they back?" Amy asks, desperate for an answer.

"Only one way to find out." Though Sarah hopes for the same thing.

"I'll be damned." Dale says, still looking through the binoculars.

"What is it?" Amy asks.

"A stolen car is my guess." Dale replies to the young blond.

A red dodge challenger makes an appearance with dust trailing behind it due to the graveled road; the alarm so loud that everyone covers their ears to block the sound. When the car parks at the camp, a familiar Asian pops out from the driver's side; filling the campers with relief at his safe return.

"Holy crap. Turn that damn thing off!" Dale cries out.

"I don't know how!" Glenn hollers out to Dale.

"Pop the hood, please. Pop the hood." Shane gets in front of the hood of the dodge challenger.

"My sister Andrea-" But Amy is interrupted by Shane before she can finish.

"Pop the damn hood, please!" Shane slams his hand down on the hood repeatedly, clearly impatient.

"What? Okay okay. Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!" Glenn panics at Shane's raised voice.

Sarah watches from the sidelines, finding Glenn's panic amusing. She knows she won't get any answers regarding Merle until the car alarm is shut off so she watches silently. But the sound of the noisy car didn't stop Amy from speaking.

"Is she okay? Is she alright?" Amy manages to get her question out.

"Yeah yeah. She's okay! She's okay!" Glenn is still in panic mode.

"Is she coming back?" Amy asks.

"Yes!" Glenn assures the worried sister.

"Why isn't she with you? Where is she? She's okay?" Amy fires off one question after another at the Asian.

Shane makes quick work of the car alarm while everyone gathers.

"Yes! Yeah, fine. Everybody is. Well, Merle not so much," Glenn finally manages to calm down now that the alarm is off.

"What did you say?" Sarah asks, Glenn's revelation shocking her. But before Glenn can explain, Shane interrupts again.

"Are you crazy, driving this wailing bastard up here? Are you trying to draw every walker for miles?" Shane asks regarding the bright red car.

"I think we're okay." Dale says, trying to calm the officer down.

"You call being stupid okay?" Shane looks over at Dale.

"Well, the alarm was echoing all over these hills. Hard to pinpoint the source. I'm not arguing. I'm just saying. It wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully net time, would it?" Dale explains, the last part being directed at Glenn.

"Sorry. Got a cool car." Glenn apologizes, looking guilty but at the same time looking a little happy about his new toy.

Just then, the sound of another vehicle is within hearing range. A large white truck with a company logo on its side pulls in with the rest of the group. Morales steps out of the passenger side first, then Andrea, T-Dog, and Jacqui come out from the back.

"Amy." Andrea says getting the attention of her little sister.

"Andrea!" Amy cries out, rushing to the older sibling.

"Oh. Oh my god!" The two reunited sisters begin to cry as they embrace.

"You scared the shit out of me." Amy holds Andrea close.

Morales gets greeted by his two children and wife.

"Papi! Daddy!" His son cries out, running toward his father.

"Hey. I told you i'd be back, didn't I?" Morales greets his family. He picks up his little girl with one arm and hugs his wife with the other.

Sarah feels this happy moment to be bittersweet. While everyone is hugging their loved ones, Sarah is left standing alone with no reunion of her own. Merle's absence has been left unexplained and she is desperate to find out what happened to her redneck friend.

"You are a welcome sight. I thought we had lost you folks for sure." Dale greets Morales with a hug.

"How'd y'all get out of there anyway?" Shane asks the question that everyone wants an answer to.

"New guy, he got us out." Glenn supplies.

"New guy?" This is not what Shane is expecting to hear.

"Yeah, crazy vato just got into town. Hey, helicopter boy! Come say hello." Morales shouts out at the white truck where the new guy is.

Everyone can hear the truck's driver's side door open and close before a man wearing a brown police officer's uniform steps into view.

"The guy's a cop like you." Morales says.

Shane prepares himself to greet the man, but his face slowly changes to one of disbelief and utter shock once he gets a good look at the newcomer.

"Do you think they know each other?" Sarah whispers to Glenn.

"You're guess is as good as mine." The Asian replies back.

The cop suddenly seems to get emotional when he looks over at Lori and Carl. The man clearly has trouble finding the words to express himself at first, but he finds his voice after a moment.

"Oh my god." The man walks over in the Grimes family's direction.

"Dad! Dad!" Carl cries out running at full speed at the emotional man who wastes no time holding the boy into his arms.

"Carl." The man collapses on the ground for a moment, holding his son before getting up and carrying Carl over to Lori.

Lori can't believe her eyes when she gets a close look at the man's face, but she's able to believe it when the man hugs her.

Shane can't contain his smile at seeing the trio hugging each other. It is a beautiful sight for the camp to see.

A few days ago when Sarah and Lori were hanging up laundry together, the woman told her that her husband passed away in the hospital he was recovering at when things got bad. But, is it possible that the man holding Lori and Carl so dearly is that very man? Could this man really be Rick Grimes?

~TWD~

 **A/N:** Rick Grimes is in the house! Thanks for reading and please don't be shy and leave a review! **  
**

**Fun Facts Time (Rick):** Fact #1: The name Rick originates from "Richard", which is derived from German, French, and English meaning "powerful leader".


	9. Dixon Trouble

**A/N:** Thank you all for favoring, following, and reviewing! Today marks a year since I started this story! I thought I would be writing season two by this point, but oh well. I blame those pre-season chapters because they were so much fun to write! Anyway, enjoy! **  
**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own "The Walking Dead" or any of its characters. "The Walking Dead" belongs to Robert Kirkman and AMC. I only own Sarah.

~TWD~

The last thing Sarah expected today is a man presumed to be dead, alive and kicking. Lori and Carl cling to the newcomer, not wanting to let go.

"I hate to interrupt your family reunion, but where is Merle?" Sarah can't stand not knowing anymore. She knows it's rude to ruin such a emotional reunion, but she is losing her patience.

The man that Sarah identifies as Rick Grimes, untangles himself from his family upon hearing her question.

"Are you a relative of Merle's?" Rick asks her.

"No, he's a friend." Sarah informs him.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this ma'am, but he's still in Atlanta."

"Did he have a reason for not returning with everyone else?" Sarah tries to hide her panic.

"Yes." Rick says, looking a tad bit uncomfortable with the conversation.

"Care to explain so I can understand?"

"Merle was lashing out at the others, so I handcuffed him on the roof. Unfortunately, there were too many walkers and he was left behind." Rick is clearly apologetic.

"You left him on the roof of a building under the hot sun with no means of escape?" Sarah is horrified.

"I'm so sorry." Because of him, the man he detained is dead.

"Oh my god, what am I going to tell Daryl?" Sarah can feel the tears begin to form, but she holds them back. Sarah knew she should have went with Merle. Why did she listen to Daryl and stay behind?

"Daryl is Merle's brother, right?" Rick recalls Morales mentioning Daryl when they were talking in the cube van.

"Yeah, he's not going to take the news well." How is she going to tell Daryl that his only family is dead?

"I could tell him, it is my fault." Rick could see that Merle's death is affecting the brunette.

"No, I don't think hearing it from the man that handcuffed his brother and left him to die is a good idea."

"Merle had a temper, is his brother the same?" Rick worries for the young woman's safety.

"Both of them are hot-tempered, surprised they haven't killed anyone yet." Shane says.

"I can handle Daryl and the only reason they're hot-tempered around you is because they don't like you Shane." Sarah already told him this earlier.

"Anyway, you sure you don't want help with Daryl?" Rick wants to lift part of the burden from the woman's shoulders.

"I'm sure, he won't be back until tomorrow."

"He's not here?" Rick can't help but feel a little relief from hearing this. He didn't want anymore drama today after the day he's had.

"He went off hunting this morning after Merle left with the others." It will give her time to grieve and come up with a way to tell Daryl.

"That give us one evening of peace till the hothead returns." Shane says, not looking forward to that conversation.

"You should be spending time with your family." Sarah smiles, knowing that reuniting with his family is nothing short of a miracle. She also feels bad for ruining the moment.

"Thank you." Rick goes back to give attention to his wife and son.

"How lucky are they to find each other in all this mess?" Sarah directs her question to Shane.

"I don't understand how Rick being alive is possible." Shane looks puzzled.

"What do you mean?" Sarah heard the from Lori that Rick died at the hospital after the power went out; power that was keeping the medical equipment on and her husband alive. But, she is curious on Shane's side of the story.

"I went to the hospital to save him, but the medical equipment shut down. I listened for a heartbeat and he didn't have one. I didn't want him to be eaten by any walkers, so I blocked the door with a gurney."

"His heartbeat must have been so faint that you couldn't hear it. Just think, if you haven't blocked the door, he would have been dead for sure. You got your best friend back despite the odds." Shane basically tells her the same story she heard from Lori, just with a few added details Lori didn't know.

"I'm glad he's back." He looks over at the Grimes family.

Sarah can't help but notice that Shane looks more concerned than happy at his best friend's return.

"Shane, you don't look as thrilled at Rick being here." Sarah decides to call it out on Shane.

"Of course i'm thrilled, just shocked." And he is because he was convinced that Rick was dead.

"Are you worried because he might find out about you and Lori?" Sarah asks the big question.

"How did you know about that?" Shane was so careful about his romantic relationship with Lori so how did Sarah find out about it?

"I'd rather not say. I'm not going to tell Rick about the affair. You believed he was dead right?" Sarah found out from Merle when he spotted them having sex in the woods. Sarah knows Shane would be mortified if he found out.

"Y-yeah."

"Rick is your best friend, don't hide this from him. I'm sure he'll understand that you wanted to keep Lori and Carl safe and things went a step further between you and Lori because you two have known each other for so long."

"You really won't tell him?" Shane can't hide his relief when Sarah said she won't tell Rick even though he knows hiding the affair from his best friend is wrong.

"No, it's between you, Lori, and Rick. It hurts when you find out such a secret from another source."Sarah knows this from experience and would hate to see it happen to someone else, even if it is the man that handcuffed her friend to a roof and left to die.

"I'm not ready to tell Rick." Shane loves Rick like a brother, so how can he tell him about the affair knowing it would hurt him?

"I doubt Lori will tell Rick neither so you two need to talk it over and figure out how to tell him." If they don't talk about it, it could ruin their relationship forever.

"I know you're right, but it's hard."

"For now, just be happy that he's alive." Sarah smiles as Carl's eyes light up with pure joy when looking at his father.

"I am." And he really is, but now he's sure Lori will think he was lying about Rick's demise so he needs to make things right with her first.

"Look how happy Carl is. You did a good job keeping him in good spirits." Sarah watches the happy family reunion.

"You think so?" Shane asks.

"I'm sure his parents appreciate it."

"I love that boy." He loves Carl like he is his own son.

"He's a good kid." Sarah smiles.

"Do you think Rick will forgive me?" Shane would understand if Rick didn't forgive him, but it would still hurt.

"You know the man, what do you think?"

"He's soft-hearted, so yeah."

"Well, if you'll excuse me. I need to talk to Glenn." Sarah excuses herself and looks around for the Asian.

~TWD~

It didn't take Sarah long to find Glenn as he is found hanging around his new car.

"Nice ride."

"Think i'll be able to attract a girlfriend with this bad boy?" Glenn pats the hood of the car.

"I think your good looks are enough, the car is just a bonus." Sarah smiles at the Asian.

"Look, i'm sorry about Merle." Glenn says, now serious.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you if you could tell me the whole story on how Merle got left behind." Sarah wants the full story on what happened to her redneck friend.

"Oh, but didn't Rick tell you?" Glenn questions.

"He gave me the abridged version."

"Well, Merle was on the roof of the department store shooting off his rifle. It was bad enough that Rick shot up the street, but Merle made it worse."

"Did you tell him to stop?" Sarah asks him.

"We all did, but he didn't take it well."

"What did he do?" Sarah didn't like where this story is going.

"He called T-Dog some nasty names and beat the crap out of him." Glenn didn't go into detail on the conversation between Merle and the others.

"And Rick handcuffed him to the roof as a result?" Sarah concludes.

"Yeah, Rick found a pouch of drugs in his pocket."

"That idiot." If Merle was alive, she would have given him hell for it.

"So, are you and Daryl going to go get him?" Glenn didn't think it would be wise to do so, but he can tell by Sarah's expression that leaving Merle's body behind isn't an option.

"I'd have to talk to Daryl about that, but I have no doubt in my mind that Daryl will collect him." Sarah didn't want to leave his body rotting on the roof. Despite the danger, she wants to retrieve Merle's body and give him a proper burial.

"Are you going to go too?"

"I want to, so yeah." She didn't want Daryl to do it all alone and she didn't want to lose the other Dixon.

"You know, it's possible that Merle got himself free." He wants to give Sarah a little bit of hope.

"Even if he did get free, he'd have to get pass all of those walkers."

"Good point."

"What do you make of Rick?" Sarah wants to look past what he did to Merle and find out if he's truly a good man.

"I think he's a good guy. He's the one that got us out of Atlanta." Even though it was because of Rick that they got trapped, Rick made up for it by getting them out.

"Not everyone." Sarah says, thinking about the man the group left behind.

"Are you sure it should only be you and Daryl?"

"I doubt anyone will volunteer to collect the body of a man they didn't like." Sarah frowns.

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Glenn didn't like Merle much, but no one deserves to be eaten alive which is most likely what happened to Merle.

"Besides Daryl, i'm the only one that did like Merle."

"Yeah, Merle liked you too." Merle treated her differently from everyone else so it had to be true.

"Because i'm nice." Sarah says.

"That might be the reason." No one gave Merle the time of day except for Sarah.

"I'm sorry we left Merle behind." Glenn adds.

"It's not your fault." Sarah didn't blame Glenn for what happened. If anything, Sarah blames herself for not pushing the idea on Daryl that she should go with Merle despite there being enough people going. If she had gone with Merle, he might still be alive.

"It was just the geeks were breaking through the department store entrance. If we had more time, we could have gotten Merle out of there."

"There's nothing that can be done now. Daryl and I will get him tomorrow." She just needs to figure out how to tell Daryl the sad news.

"I'll write down some directions to the store if that will help." He didn't want Sarah and the younger Dixon going into the city without proper directions.

"Thanks Glenn." After Glenn gives her directions, Sarah retires to her tent to grieve for the loss of her friend.

~TWD~

Later that night, Rick is telling everyone his tale to the group as they sit around the fire.

"Disoriented. I guess that comes closest. Disoriented. Fear, confusion, all of those things but disoriented comes closest." Rick describes how he felt when he first woke up from his coma.

"Words can be meager things. Sometimes they fall short." Dale says.

"I felt like i'd been ripped out of my life and put somewhere else. For a while I thought I was trapped in some coma dream, something I might not wake up from ever." Rick describes how most likely everyone in the world felt when the world as they knew it came to a chaotic end.

"Mom said you died." Carl speaks up.

"She had every reason to believe that. Don't you ever doubt it." Rick says to his son.

Sarah notices Lori briefly look at Shane and the man stares intensely back. Sarah hopes that Shane and Lori confess to Rick about their affair before Rick finds out in a different way. It's better to hear it from the source than from someone else.

"When things started to get really bad, they told me at the hospital that they were gonna medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta, and it never happened." Lori explains.

"Well, i'm not surprised after Atlanta fell." Rick says, most likely recalling his short adventure in the mentioned city.

"Yeah." Lori says, agreeing with her husband.

"And from the look of that hospital, it got overrun."

"Yeah, looks don't deceive. I barely got them out, you know?" Shane says.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane. I can't begin to express it." Rick looks at Shane with an expression that truly shows how grateful he is.

"There goes those words falling short again. Paltry things." Dale says.

Suddenly some wood crackles, Ed adding more wood into his fire.

"Hey Ed, you want to rethink that log?" Shane looks over at Ed.

"It's cold, man." Ed replies, not caring for Shane.

"The cold don't change the rules, does it? Keep our fires low, just embers, so we can't be seen from a distance, right?"

"I said it's cold. You should mind your own business for once." Ed repeats, not one for anyone's rules but his own.

Shane didn't take kindly to Ed's words, so he immediately excuses himself for a moment and goes over to Ed to address the problem.

"Hey, Ed, are you sure you want to have this conversation, man?" Shane speaks softly, but can still be heard by the others.

"Go on. Pull the damn thing out. Go on!" Ed addresses to his wife, not bothering to lift a finger.

Carol quickly gets out of her chair to take out the offending piece of dead wood.

"Christ." Shane mutters.

Sarah can't understand why Carol would obey the lazy pig. There are so many people here that are willing to help her, yet she reaches out to no one. For her daughter's sake, Sarah hopes Carol will snap out of it and get out from under Ed's thumb.

Once Carol gets the burning piece of wood out of the fire and returns to her seat next to Sophia, Shane proceeds to stomp out the flames. After he's done, he checks on Carol and Sophia.

"Hey, Carol, Sophia, how are y'all this evening?" Shane kneels down to their level.

"Fine. We're just fine." Carol replies, looking nervous yet grateful for Shane.

"Okay."

"I'm sorry about the fire." Carol apologizes.

"No no no no. No apology needed. Y'all have a good night, okay?" Shane slowly stands up.

"Thank you." Carol says softly.

"I appreciate the cooperation." Shane directs at Ed, who wears a scowl on his face and will most likely take it out on his wife later in the evening when no is looking.

"Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind." Dale looks over at Sarah, who took the bad news with grace.

"I'll tell him. I dropped the key. It's on me." T-Dog says, wanting to take responsibility for what happened.

"I cuffed him. That makes it mine." Rick pitches in. He knows the woman from earlier said she would do it, but like T-Dog, he feels responsible.

"Guys, it's not a competition. I don't mean to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy." Glenn looks over at T-Dog, hoping he didn't offend him.

"Or a white girl." Sarah wants to be the one to tell Daryl the bad news, knowing he'll take it better with her than anyone else.

"I did what I did. Hell if i'm gonna hide from him." T-Dog refuses to run away from the situation.

"We could lie." Amy suggests, but knows Sarah will never do that to Daryl.

"Or tell the truth. Merle was out of control. Something had to be done or he'd have gotten us killed." Andrea says, then looks over at Lori.

"Your husband did what was necessary. And if Merle got left behind, it's nobody's fault but Merle's." Andrea can feel Sarah's gaze on her, but says nothing more.

"And that's what we tell Daryl? I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you? Word to the wise, we're gonna have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt." Dale says.

"I was scared and I ran. I'm not ashamed of it." The only thing T-Dog is ashamed of is leaving Merle behind.

"We were all scared. We all ran. What's your point?" Andrea asks T-Dog.

"I stopped long enough to chain that door. Staircase is narrow. Maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it at any one time. It's not enough to break through that, not that chain, not that padlock. My point, Dixon's alive and he's still up there, handcuffed on that roof. That's on us." T-Dog reveals what he did before leaving the older Dixon behind, shocking everyone with this new revelation.

T-Dog could no longer take the conversation and leaves the warmth of the fire.

"If what T-Dog says is true, that really changes things. I'm not blaming anyone for what happened since Merle started it. I know he can be unstable, but that didn't give you the right to leave him behind to possibly die of dehydration and heatstroke." Sarah's heart never felt so light and heavy at the same time. Light at the fact that her friend is actually alive and heavy because he's on that roof alone with no way out.

"She's right, we should have done something." Rick says.

"You did everything you could." Lori strokes the top of Rick's hair.

"Don't worry, Daryl and I will fetch him." At least they won't be fetching a dead body, but a live and cranky one.

"But you don't even know what building he's trapped on." Rick points out.

"Glenn gave me directions."

"I feel guilty for what happened, so it's the least I can do." Glenn says.

"It's not you fault Merle acted like a moron." Sarah shrugs.

"The question is, what if walkers got to him first?" Andrea asks.

"T-Dog said that the walkers won't be able to break the chain or padlock." Sarah reminds the blond.

"True, but what if Merle gets free before you and Daryl show up?" Though Andrea is not sure how Merle could get free from those handcuffs, but had to ask anyway.

"I would hope that Merle would know that we would go back for him and wait." Daryl would never leave Merle behind and neither will Sarah. She just hopes Merle is aware of this too.

"I doubt Merle will kick back and relax while you and Daryl take your time to find him." Shane knows it's no use telling Sarah she can't go.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like him at all." Sarah softly smiles.

"Better for him to be handcuffed and no do anything stupid." Andrea says.

"How was he when you last saw him?" She's aware that T-Dog was the last that saw him, but he left so she'll have to improvise.

"He was full of energy and tried to make a pass at me." Andrea says with a disgusted face.

"Now that sounds like Merle." Sarah laughs.

"But just you and Daryl?" Rick speaks up.

"Yeah." With Daryl, Sarah feels the two of them can get Merle back with no problems.

"That doesn't sit well with me." Rick can't let this young lady get herself into danger because of his mistake.

"You don't think we can rescue Merle?"

"Just give up on this one Rick, you won't change her mind." Shane says.

"I should at least apologize to Daryl." Rick should have never handcuffed Merle to that roof, but his cop's instincts kicked in when he saw Merle punching T-Dog.

"You can do that, but I doubt he'll accept it."

"He's going to have to." Shane says.

"That's up to Daryl." Sarah can only hope that Daryl won't lose his temper when he finds out what happened.

"So, Daryl went hunting?"Rick asks.

"Yes, he saw deer tracks and wanted to hunt it down." Sarah hopes Daryl succeeds in getting the deer. She's tired of eating squirrel and some venison would be a welcome change.

"And you said he would be back tomorrow?"

"Yeah, he thinks he would get the deer by then." Sarah nods.

"And when he does come back, we'll have our hands full." Shane sighs.

"Depends on who tells him what happened." Shane will do it if he has to, but would rather not.

"I'll do it." Rick volunteers.

"I think he should hear it from someone he knows." Sarah suggests.

"That would be you." Shane says.

"I know, I would rather him hear it from me than the man that handcuffed his brother."

"I would like to be present for this conversation with Daryl." Rick would feel better if the young brunette had someone nearby in case Daryl's temper gets the best of him.

"As soon as he gets back, i'll notify you, Rick." Sarah stands up, ready to call it a night.

"Thank you." All Rick wants to do is make things right somehow and apologizing to Merle's brother will be a good start.

~TWD~

Sarah settles in her tent for the night after her long conversation with the camp's newest arrival. Hearing about Merle's misfortune did not sit well with her, but is glad that not all hope is lost as he is still alive thanks to T-Dog's split second decision to chain up the door.

"Sarah, are you still awake?" Shane's voice calls out.

"Yes." Sarah replies to the officer.

"Are you decent? We need to talk." Shane says in a serious tone.

"Come on in."

Shane enters her tent and sits down in front of her, looking tired from today's events.

"We need to talk about Daryl." Shane gets to the point of his visit.

"We just got done talking about Daryl. What more is there to talk about?" All Sarah wants to do is sleep, not talk to Shane.

"How are you going to tell him about Merle?" Shane asks the brunette.

"Well, i'm still working on what would be the best way to do it." Sarah had yet to figure out how best to approach Daryl with the bad news.

"What would be the best way in your opinion?" Shane wants to be prepared because he knows Daryl isn't going to take the news well.

"In this situation, I would be gentle, but straight to the point." Sarah isn't sure if it's the best way to tell Daryl, but it's the best option she's got right now.

"And he'd be okay with that?" Shane knows he's asking a stupid question because the answer is pretty obvious.

"Is there really a good way to tell someone that their only family was left behind on the roof of a building with no means of escaping?"

"No, but he's going to lash out." Shane knows the hunter will without a doubt.

"Of course he's going to lash out, there's no avoiding it." Sarah is not looking forward to it.

"No, there isn't." Shane rubs the back of his head.

"What would you suggest?" Sarah asks, curious on how Shane would tell Daryl.

"Tell him that Merle got himself killed." In a sense, it is the truth. Had Merle not lash out at T-Dog, he'd be here at the camp right now.

"I'm not lying to him and i'm most certainly not leaving Merle behind, alive or dead." How dare Shane makes such a suggestion when he knows she would never do such a thing to the brothers.

"What good is Merle here? He does nothing to contribute."

"He hunts." Better to have two hunters than one.

"Daryl can do that." Daryl is easier to handle than Merle in Shane's opinion.

"You really don't like Merle, huh?" Although Sarah already knows this.

"He's a drug addict." There isn't one thing Shane likes about Merle Dixon.

"There's more to him than his recreational habits." Sarah knows Shane will never bother to see the good in Merle like she did.

"Well, his recreational habits got T-Dog punched in the face multiple times."

"I never said Merle was a saint. He's got his faults like everyone else." Although, things should have been handled better in Atlanta and Merle did it poorly.

"I had another reason for coming here." Shane realizes that talking about Merle with Sarah is pointless so he moves on to his next objective.

"What is it?"

"It's about Rick." Shane sighs.

"Okay?" Sarah says, not understanding what the problem is.

"He's going to want to go with you to Atlanta." Shane has a feeling that Rick wouldn't be able to live with himself if he left a man to die.

"No, he's not." Why would a man that just found his family leave them for a complete stranger?

"I've known the guy since high school and have been his partner in the PD. He will feel responsible for Merle and go back with you."

"He just found his wife and son, he would jeopardize that for Merle?" Sarah asks the officer.

"That's the kind of man he is, he puts everyone else first before his family." It's the one thing Shane dislikes about Rick. It's not a bad thing, but his family suffers for it.

"I won't let him do that to Lori and Carl." She saw how the boy's eyes sparkled at the sight of his father's return. No way can she have Rick leave his family to save Merle, no matter the reasons.

"Daryl won't either I reckon."

"For different reasons." Rick is the one that handcuffed Merle to the roof after all.

"Well, I don't want to take anymore of your time. I'm sure you got a lot to think about." Shane yawns, tired, but unfortunately has watch tonight.

"Yeah, thanks for telling me about Rick, Shane. I'll try to make sure he stays here." Unless Lori is okay with Rick going, Sarah won't allow Rick to join the rescue team.

"Thanks, that would mean a lot to Lori and Carl." Shane just wants what's best for Lori and Carl.

"If I was reunited with my family, I wouldn't want them out of my sight for a while."

"Is that how you're gonna be with Merle?" Shane didn't have much trouble imagining Sarah fussing over Merle when they get back to camp.

"Probably, i'll let you punch him for the drugs because he deserves it." Sarah smiles, knowing Shane would not pass up the opportunity.

"I just might take you up on that offer. Have a good night, Sarah." Shane gets up, needing to relieve Dale from watch.

"You too, Shane."

~TWD~

Sleep escapes Sarah multiple times thanks to the thunder outside before she finally falls asleep that night. Merle's predicament and breaking the news to Daryl is what also kept her awake. The following morning normally she'd welcome, but today is not one of those days.

"Sarah, you need to eat." Carol observes Sarah pushing her food on her plate, instead of eating it.

"I don't have much of an appetite." She's so stressed out that food is the last thing on her mind.

"I'm sorry about Merle, I know he means a great deal to you." Carol can see that Merle's absence is weighing heavily on the brunette.

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault." Sarah says.

"It's not your fault either."

"I just wish I didn't listen to Daryl and went with Merle, you know?" It's been plaguing her throughout the night when she was trying to sleep.

"But then we would have two missing people instead of one." If Merle was left behind even if Sarah was there, she would have willingly stayed behind with him.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"You don't have to do this alone. Lori's husband seems to feel guilty about the whole thing." Carol can tell that Rick is a good man just from how he talks to people.

"But Daryl doesn't know Rick. It's better if he hears it from me." She didn't want Daryl to hear it from anyone else.

"Daryl's going to be upset either way." And Carol won't blame the man when he does.

"But he'll most certainly punch Rick and not me though." Daryl's not the type a man that would strike a woman, no matter how angry he is.

"I suppose you have a point." Carol sighs.

"That's why he has to hear it from me first." Sarah says.

"When will he be back?" Carol thought she heard that he would be back today, but is making sure.

"Today." Sarah confirms.

"Well, you should really eat something, else that stomach of yours might attract walkers later." Carol gives her a soft smile.

"That would be bad and embarrassing." The last thing Sarah needs is for her growling stomach to get Daryl and herself killed.

"Then please eat." Carol urges the brunette.

"Okay." But Sarah still didn't have much of an appetite.

~TWD~

After focusing her breakfast down her throat, she runs into Rick.

"Good morning, Rick." Sarah greets the newest camp resident.

"Mornin' Sarah, how are you feeling today?" Rick learned from Lori last night the the woman's name is Sarah and that she's formed a bond with the Dixon brothers.

"Better than some." Sarah replies, thinking about how Merle might be feeling, sleeping on hard concrete for a bed.

"I can't apologize enough about Merle."

"I knew I should have went with him. Merle didn't get along with the group very well. Besides his brother, i'm the only exception." Sarah explains.

"The man must hate me right now." Though to be honest, he didn't care if the man hated him. Merle put the group in harm's way and that didn't sit well with the cop.

"You're a cop, right?" I think that's enough of a reason for him to hate you." Sarah smiles.

"I take it he doesn't get along with Shane?" Rick guesses.

"Yeah and vice versa." Sarah nods.

"Shane can come off a bit strong." Rick had known the man for a long time and has worked with him so he knows what Shane is like.

"Merle doesn't like being bossed around, especially by a cop."

"That does explain some things." Remembering how rude Merle was with him when they first met.

"The only reason he even went to Atlanta was to get away from here for a bit." But now she wonders if that was the real reason why he went with the supply group.

"That's a strange reason, given how dangerous it is now."

"Well, that's Merle for you." Sarah laughs.

"Look, I feel real bad about Merle. When his brother arrives and we explain the situation, let me go with you to Atlanta." Rick suggests, wanting to help.

"Are you crazy? You just found your family and you want to leave them behind just to rescue someone you just met?" Shane did warn Sarah that Rick would want to go with her and Daryl to Atlanta and now here he is, asking to join the rescue team.

"It's my fault and I want to make things right." Rick says.

"I don't like it. Hell, Shane warned me that you would offer to go with us." Sarah tells the officer.

"He said that?" Rick says, looking a little surprised.

"Yeah and he doesn't like the idea of you leaving either." Sarah didn't like the idea neither.

"Your friend is out there dying of thirst and you're refusing help from someone that knows where he is?" He knows Glenn gave her directions, but he won't give up on joining the rescue mission.

"It's not my call." Sarah says.

"It's Daryl's, I know."

"Rick, your family thought you were dead up until yesterday. Would be stupid to go out there only to get yourself killed for real." Sarah can't let Rick do this to his family.

"It would be unfair for me to be here with my family when someone else's is out there trapped on a roof." Rick argues his case.

"Speaking of Merle, was he really on drugs or did he just have it on his person?" Sarah had to know if Merle was really on drugs. She trusts Glenn's word, but she needs to hear it from someone else.

"He was under the influence, I checked his nose and there was some substance. That's why I handcuffed him so he would calm down." That and to stop Merle from beating up anyone else.

"That idiot." Sarah can't believe Merle would make such a stupid decision.

"Did you know he was using?" Rick asks her.

"Yeah, but I told him not to use around people so he would get high in the woods." She confesses to the cop.

"Why not just take his drugs away?"

"He's going to run out eventually, so I let him get away with it even though it's not healthy." Now she regrets it after what happened. When they get Merle back safely, she's going to confiscate all of his remaining drugs and she'll make sure Daryl will back her up on the decision.

"You make a good point, unfortunately is was those drugs that made him lash out." Maybe he would have lashed out without the drugs, Rick isn't sure of it though.

"I'm sorry." She knows Merle will never apologize to a cop so she did it for the older Dixon.

"You couldn't have known it would happen." Rick can see how much Merle's actions trouble her.

"I'll make sure he gets a nice long lecture when we get him back." And it will be a very long lecture.

"You mind if I put my two cents in?" Rick smirks.

"Go ahead." An earful from more than one person might just make the older Dixon think twice before using drugs in a dangerous area again.

"I'm still going to Atlanta with you." Rick is determined to go with the duo, even if it is up to Daryl.

"No, you're not." Last thing she needs is Lori thinking she invited Rick to come along.

"You don't have to like it, but you need all the help you can get." Hopefully, Daryl will see the logic in it.

"I know, but I can't do that to your wife and son."

"Look, I was thinking of taking Glenn with us." Rick thinks things would go more smoothly if Glenn tags along.

"But Glenn just got back." Poor guy has been through enough after his last trip to Atlanta.

"I know, but he knows the geography of the city." Rick points out.

"He gave me directions, but if you want him to go anyway, you'll have to ask him." Sarah will not force Glenn to join the rescue mission, but she'd feel better having Glenn along instead of his directions.

"There's another reason I want to go to Atlanta." Rick decides to tell Sarah something he had yet to tell anyone else.

"There is? What is it?"

"Before I left for Atlanta, I went to the police station I worked at and grabbed all the guns and ammo available. I dropped the bag on the street when I got ambushed by walkers. I think those guns will be more useful with us than on the street." Rick sees that Sarah is interested when he mentions the guns.

"More guns would be nice and the more ammo, the better." Sarah thinks Shane would agree with Rick going to Atlanta if he knows about the guns.

"I also had a walkie-talkie and I need it."

"Why? We have a radio here." Sarah looks at him, confused.

"I was saved by a man and his son shortly after I left the hospital. Before we parted ways, I gave him one of the walkie-talkies so I could keep contact with him. The walkie-talkie he has can only contact the one I had." Rick explains, hoping she can understand.

"They must be worried about you." Just like Sarah is worried about Merle.

"I have to warn him about Atlanta; that it's no longer safe." Rick says.

"When Daryl gets back, we'll talk about it." After what Rick had said, she feels he did need to go back to Atlanta to repay his debt to the man and son that saved his life.

"Is he like Merle? Shane said that Daryl has a temper." If Daryl is like Merle, Rick knows he'll have issues with him.

"He's got a good head on his shoulders, but I have never seen him truly angry. He got mad at me once, but that was my fault." Sarah chuckles at the memory.

"What happened?"Rick asks, curious.

"I was going into the city with Glenn and all I had was my gun. So, the night before I left, Daryl gave me one of his hunting knives to use. I forgot it in the RV the following morning and he got upset that I didn't have it on me." Sarah never left her tent without the knife after that.

"Is that the knife?" Rick looks down at the sheathed knife hanging against her hip.

"The very one. He let me keep it even when I tried to return it." Sarah smiles.

"That was nice of him." It appears that the Dixon brothers care for her well being, something Rick decides to keep in mind.

"When you meet him, please don't be too harsh on him."

"You really care about Daryl and Merle, huh?" Rick can see how much Sarah cherishes the two men.

"I do, they saved my life when they didn't have to. I would not be a member of this camp if it wasn't for them." Sarah sees those two like family and right now one of her family members is in trouble.

"I wasn't aware of that." He can relate to her though.

"People here make them out to be bad, but only because they don't take the time understand them. Two men that save a woman's life and offer her a place to stay without getting anything out of it have to be good men, right?"

"Yeah, they would have to be." Rick agrees.

~TWD~

Not long after her conversation with Rick, Daryl still isn't back from his hunt which bothers Sarah. The hot sun worries her because while she had water to replenish herself, Merle did not and the sun is not very forgiving today. She can't imagine how Merle is feeling right now, baking in the hot sun with no shelter.

"Oh Daryl, where the hell are you?" Sarah says to herself.

The peaceful morning shatters when a woman nearby starts screaming, sending everyone in a panic. Sarah hears Carl call out to his mom and Rick and Lori take off running while everyone else gathers whatever can be used as a weapon.

"It's over there!" One of the men calls out.

"Dad!" Carl calls, sounding scared.

"Baby!" Lori cries out, running as fast as her stringy legs will allow her with Rick not far behind her.

"Mama! Mommy!" A little girl cries out

"Rick!" Glenn throws Rick a weapon as they run into the woods after the cries of the children.

"Carl! Baby!" Lori cries out to her son in a panic.

"Mom!" Carl is in view, looking unharmed, but scared.

"You're okay! I've got him. Nothing bit you? Nothing scratched you?" Lori hugs her son close.

"No, i'm okay." Carl assures his mother.

"Thank goodness the kids are okay." Sarah says, but wonders what startled them in the first place. She follows after the men and finds the source of the children's fright.

There on the forest floor lays the carcass of a deer; its neck chewed on by a lone walker. Sarah takes a closer look at the deer and sees two familiar bolts sticking out from its rear.

"Daryl." Sarah looks around, knowing the younger Dixon is near as he would never let his target get away.

But everyone's focus is on the walker, ripping out muscle from the deer's open neck. The walker takes notice of fresh meat and stands up, growling at them. Rick takes the first swing at the creature and everyone else follows suit. Shovels, bats, pitchforks, weapons of all kinds strike down the walker that was once human. Dale finally finishes it off by chopping off its head with an axe.

"It's the first one we've had up here. They never come this far up the mountain." Dale says, worried how safe they are now that a walker got close to the camp.

"Well, they're running out of food in the city, that's what." Jim speaks up.

A rustle comes from the bushes and everyone is on high alert, thinking it would be another walker. But everyone breathes a sigh of relief when Daryl Dixon steps out, crossbow in hand.

"Oh, Jesus." Someone breathes a sigh of relief that it's Daryl and not another walker.

"Son of a bitch. That's my deer! Look at it. All gnawed on by the filthy, disease-bearing motherless proxy bastard!" Daryl kicks the decapitated walker's body multiple times, angry that all his effort with the deer was for nothing.

"Is that Daryl?" Rick whispers to Sarah.

"Yeah." Sarah confirms.

"Calm down, son. That's not helping." Dale tries to calm down the hunter.

"What do ya know about it, old man? Why don't ya take that stupid hat and go back to 'On Golden Pond'? I've been trackin' this deer for miles." Daryl pulls the bolts out from the deer carcass.

"Gonna bring it back to camp, cook us up some venison. What do ya think? Do ya think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?" Daryl points down at the deer's open neck wound, hoping to salvage what's left of the deer.

"I would not risk that." Shane says.

"That's a damn shame. I got some squirrel though, 'bout a dozen or so. That'll have to do." Daryl sighs and then he sees Sarah.

"Looks like we're eating squirrel again." Daryl says to her, but her mind is on how she's going to tell Daryl about Merle so all she can do is give him a small smile.

The walker's head comes to life, grossing out Amy and Andrea.

"Oh God." Amy walks away with Andrea, sickened by the sight.

"Come on, people. What the hell?" Daryl shoots the head with his crossbow, ceasing its movements forever. He collects the bolt, looking at the others.

"It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothin'?" Daryl walks away towards the camp.

Sarah follows him quickly, needing to tell him about Merle before someone beats her to it.

"Merle! Merle! Get yer ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up."

"Daryl, Daryl, wait a minute." Sarah tries to stop him.

"Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you." Shane says.

"About what?" Daryl looks at Shane.

"About Merle. There was a... there was a problem in Atlanta." Shane beats Sarah to it.

Everyone at camp gathers around and stares at Daryl, making the man uncomfortable at the attention. Sarah stands next to him, hoping her presence would put him at ease.

"He dead?" Daryl asks, getting straight to the point.

"We're not sure." Shane says.

"He either is or he ain't!" Daryl says, getting riled up.

"Daryl, please calm down and listen." Sarah tries to grab his arm, but he rips it away from her.

"No easy way to say this, so i'll just say it." Rick steps up, getting a disapproving look from Sarah.

"Who are you?" Daryl asks, never having seen the man before.

"Rick Grimes."

"Rick Grimes, ya got somethin' ya want to tell me?"

"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him to a roof, hooked him up to a piece of metal. He's still there."

"Damn it, Rick." Sarah says under her breath.

"Hold on. Let me process this. Yer sayin' ya handcuffed my brother to a roof and ya left him there?!" Daryl shouts at Rick, clearly emotional at the thought of his brother being trapped.

"Yeah." Rick confirms.

Daryl looks at him for a moment then all hell breaks loose as soon as the two make eye contact. He throws his catch of squirrels at Rick. Shane tackles Daryl before the man can throw a punch.

"Hey." T-Dog steps in, wanting the fight to stop.

Daryl unsheathes his knife, his eyes full of rage.

"Watch the knife!" Shane warns Rick.

"Daryl, please stop!" Sarah cries out, but her plea falls on deaf ears.

Daryl takes a swing with his knife at Rick but misses and both Shane and Rick restrain him. They manage to get the knife away from him, but Daryl is having none of it.

"Okay. Okay." Shane gets a good grip on Daryl so he can't move as much.

"You'd best let me go!" Daryl yells.

"Nah, I think it's better if I don't." Shane puts Daryl in a choke hold.

"Choke hold's illegal." Daryl struggles.

"You can file a complaint. Come on, man. We'll keep this up all day." Shane refuses to let Daryl go until the man calms down.

"Let him go, Shane!" Sarah can't stand to watch the scene before her eyes anymore.

Rick kneels down to Daryl's level while Shane keeps a hold on him.

"I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic. Do you think we can manage that?" Rick asks the huntsman.

Daryl didn't respond, still worked up over the bad news.

"Do you think we can manage that?" Rick repeats.

"Hmm. Yeah." Daryl gives in and Shane tosses him to the ground.

Sarah wastes no time running to Daryl's side, kneeling next to him.

"What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others." Rick can tell from Sarah's expression that she knows this too.

"It's not Rick's fault. I had the key. I dropped it." T-Dog confesses.

"Ya couldn't pick it up?" Daryl asks, a bit calmer now.

"Well, I dropped it in a drain." T-Dog says.

Daryl stands up and Sarah follows suit.

"If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't." Daryl throws some dirt he bunched up in his hand to the ground.

"Well, maybe this will. Look, I chained the door on the roof so the geeks couldn't get at him with a padlock." T-Dog hopes this will earn himself a bit of forgiveness.

"It's gotta count for something." Rick says.

Sarah's heart breaks when she sees Daryl is trying really hard to act tough and not cry in front of everyone.

"Hell with all y'all! Just tell me where he is so I can go get him." Daryl says angrily.

"He'll show you. Isn't that right?" Lori speaks up, shocking Sarah.

"I'm going back." Rick declares.

To Sarah's surprise, Daryl grabs her hand and leads her away from the others to his camp without saying a word.

"Daryl, we'll get him back." Sarah assures him.

"Those assholes left him up there." Daryl says, his voice a little shaky.

"Do you know why he got handcuffed in the first place?"

Daryl didn't say anything, he just stares at her.

"Merle thought it would be a good idea to get high when no one was looking." Sarah tells him.

"Son of a bitch." Daryl groans.

"Then he created a ruckus by shooting walkers from the roof. After that he got in a fight with T-Dog and punched the living daylights out of him before Rick stopped him. Even though he was handcuffed to the roof, he tried to sweet talk Andrea into letting him loose." Sarah tells him everything she knows about what happened in Atlanta.

"I'm gonna kill 'im, that good for nothin' asshole of a brother."Daryl growls, pissed off about the whole situation.

"I'm so mad, not at them, but at myself." If only she had gone with him, none of this would have happened.

"Ain't like yer the one that left him up there."

"I knew letting Merle go to Atlanta was a mistake. Hell, we both knew it and we didn't stop him. I shouldn't have listened to you and went with him anyway. Maybe Merle wouldn't be in this mess if I did." Sarah had been blaming herself since finding out about Merle.

"Knock that shit off." Daryl didn't want Sarah to take the blame. He is just as responsible for letting Merle go.

"It's true and you know it." Sarah sighs.

"I'll get him back."

"No, Daryl, we are getting him back." Sarah corrects him.

"Hell no, yer stayin' here." The last thing Daryl wants is to put Sarah in danger.

"No, Dixon! Not this time! I will not sit here and wait while you go to Atlanta. You didn't even know Merle was in trouble until a bit ago while I have known since yesterday. I'm going with you and that's final." Sarah will not back down no matter what Daryl says.

"I said no." Daryl says firmly.

"I don't care. I'm tired of sitting around and worrying all day."

"Ain't got nothin' to worry about because i'm bringing him back." Daryl will make sure of it.

"I'm going, Daryl. Deal with it." Sarah walks away from the fuming hunter.

"Fuck." Daryl kicks a bucket full of water out of frustration.

~TWD~

Not long later, Rick comes out of his tent wearing his officer uniform. Sarah overhears the conversation between Rick and Shane.

"So that's it, huh? You're just gonna walk off? Just to hell with everybody else?" Shane knew it was coming, but still can't believe his best friend would leave for a suicide mission for some drug addict.

"I'm not saying to hell with anybody, not you Shane, Lori least of all."

"Tell her that." Shane says.

"She knows." Rick sighs.

"Well, look I, I don't, okay, Rick? So could you just, could you just throw me a bone here, man? Could you just tell me why? Why would you risk your life for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?" Shane follows after Rick.

"Hey, choose yer words more carefully." Daryl warns Shane.

"No, I did. Douche bag is what I meant. Merle Dixon, the guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst." Shane says to Rick.

"Well, he can't give anyone water since he's the one dying of thirst." Sarah says, earning a smirk from Daryl.

"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me. I can't let a man die of thirst, me. Thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being." His morals will not allow for it to happen.

"So you and Daryl, that's your big plan?" Lori didn't like this plan one bit.

"And me." Sarah speaks up, not wanting to be forgotten.

"Well, that's a no brainer." Shane scoffs.

Rick looks over at Glenn and the poor Asian know what is coming.

"Oh, come on." Glenn groans, just having returned to the safety of the camp.

"You know the way. You've been there before, in and out, no problem. You said so yourself. It's not fair of me to ask, I know that, but i'd feel a lot better with you along. I know she would too." Rick looks over at Lori.

"I agree with Rick, i'd feel better if we had Glenn with us." Sarah agrees.

"That's just great. Now you're gonna risk three men and a woman, huh?" Shane argues.

"Five." T-Dog volunteers.

"My day just gets better and better, don't it?" Daryl huffs, cleaning his bolts.

"You see anybody else here stepping up to save your brother's cracker ass?" T-Dog asks.

"Why you?" Daryl asks.

"You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language." T-Dog wears a serious expression.

"T-Dog feels guilty about Merle, just let him redeem himself, Daryl." Sarah whispers to the hunter.

"That's five." Dale announces.

"It's not just five. You're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that, Rick. Come on, you saw that walker. It was here. It was in camp. They're moving out of the cities. They come back, we need every able body we've got. We need 'em here. We need 'em to protect camp." Shane pleads his case.

"It seems to me what you really need most here are more guns." Rick says, knowing that mentioning the guns he left behind would win Shane over.

"Right, the guns." A light bulb seems to go off in Glenn's head.

"Wait, what guns?" Shane's interest is piqued.

"Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns. I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. It's just sitting there on the street, waiting to be picked up." Rick tells his best friend.

"Ammo?" Shane asks. If there's one thing they need besides guns, it's ammo.

"700 rounds, assorted." Rick answers, the amount of ammo winning Shane over.

"You went through hell to find us. You just got here and you're gonna turn around and leave?" Lori asks, even though not that long ago she practically gave him her permission to Rick that he could go.

"Dad, I don't want you to go." Carl says and Rick knows it's hard on his son, but can't stay while a man is on a roof, dying.

"To hell with the guns, Shane is right. Merle Dixon? He's not worth one of your lives, even with guns thrown in." Lori can't believe that her husband would risk so much for a rotten man like Merle Dixon.

"He's worth it to me and Daryl." Sarah mutters.

"Tell me. Make me understand." Lori argues with Rick.

"I owe a debt to a man I met and his little boy. Lori, if they hadn't taken me in, i'd have died. It's because of them that I made it back to you at all. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. They'll walk into the same trap that I did if I don't warn him." Rick explains to his wife, who looks like she's having a change of heart after what Rick reveals to her.

"What's stopping you?" Lori asks.

"The walkie-talkie, the one in the bag I dropped. He's got the other one. Our plan was to connect when they got closer." Rick explains to his wife.

"Those are our walkies?" Shane asks.

"Yeah."

"So, use the CB. What's wrong with that?" Andrea joins the conversation.

"The CB's fine. It's the walkies that suck to crap, date back to the 70's, don't match any other bandwidth, not even the scanners in our cars." Shane replies. Sarah already heard all of this from Rick this morning.

"I need that bag."

"Lori seems to resign herself to the fact that Rick is in some ways right, just not with Merle Dixon. The only person Rick needs to convince now is Carl.

"Okay?" Rick kneels down to Carl's level.

The father and son stare at each other for a moment when Carl nods, understanding what his dad needs to do.

"All right." Rick touches the top of Carl's head before getting up.

~TWD~

Sarah sits in the back of the cube van with Daryl and Glenn while Rick talks to Dale about bolt cutters.

"Ya shouldn't be goin' with us." Daryl says, still displeased with Sarah's choice to join the rescue team.

"I can't do that, Daryl." Sarah is firm in her decision to go to Atlanta.

"Enough people are goin'." Daryl knows nothing will convince her to stay, but he had to try. A part of him is grateful that she cares about his brother as much as he did.

"You said that last time too and look what happened?" Sarah reminds him.

"Ya stick close to me, ya hear?"

"I hear you." Sarah agrees, knowing it is the only way Daryl would be okay with her going.

"What's taking that prick so long?" The sooner they leave, the sooner they can fetch Merle.

"Calm down, Daryl. Rick needs the bolt cutters from Dale in order to break the padlock and those handcuffs."

"Well, it's taking too damn long." Daryl gets up.

"Daryl, what are you doing?" Sarah watches as Daryl stands up.

Daryl stomps down on the horn, startling Glenn who is sitting right in front of the wheel.

"Come on, let's go!" Daryl says impatiently.

"Real classy, Daryl."

"Shut up."

Just as Rick and T-Dog are about to join them, Shane stops Rick in his tracks.

"Hey, Rick, got any rounds in the Python?" Shane walks over with a black bag that says sheriff on it.

"No." Rick used them all back in Atlanta.

"Last time we were on the gun range, i'm sure I wound up with a few loose rounds of yours." Shane unzips the bag and digs through it to find the spare bullets.

"You and that bag, like the bottom of an old lady's purse." Rick smiles.

Sarah had to giggle at that comment.

"I hate that you're doing, man. I think that it's foolish and reckless. But if you gonna go, you're taking bullets."

"I'm not sure i'd want to fire a shot in the city, not after what happened last time." Rick already learned his lesson the hard way.

"That's up to you. Well, four men, one woman, five rounds. What are the odds, huh?" Shane looks down at the five bullets in his hands.

"Well, let's just hope that... let's just hope that five rounds is your lucky number, okay?" Shane hands over the bullets.

"Thank you." Rick says.

"All right." Shane takes his bag of goods away from the cube van.

Rick gets in the van next to Glenn and loads his Python with the five bullets given to him. T-Dog jumps into the back of the cube van to join Daryl and Sarah. Daryl wastes no time shutting the back of the cube van before it takes off to Atlanta.

~TWD~

The rescue team is just pulling into Atlanta when Sarah decides to say something she's been meaning to say since yesterday.

"T-Dog, thanks for chaining the door. If you hadn't, we would be retrieving a body instead." She knows T-Dog must be feeling guilty, but in her mind, he made it up to her by making sure the walkers can't get to Merle.

"He'd better be okay. It's my only word on the matter." Daryl speaks up.

"I told you the geeks can't get at him. The only thing that's gonna get through that door is us." T-Dog says.

At that moment, the cube van comes to a halt.

"We walk from here." Glenn says.

Everyone gets out of the cube van and starts walking on the railroad tracks towards the fence. Eventually, they make it into the city through a hole in the wired fence, most likely made by Glenn from one of his supply trips.

"Merle first or guns?" Rick asks Glenn.

"Merle! We ain't even havin' this conversation." Daryl could care less about the guns at the moment, he wanted to fetch his brother first.

"We are." Rick says emphatically.

"Well, Glenn?" Sarah looks behind her at the Asian.

"You know the geography. It's your call." Rick says.

"Merle's closest. The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first." Glenn replies.

"See, Daryl? No need to make a fuss." Sarah smirks.

"Quiet." Daryl growls.

~TWD~

After being careful and avoiding any walkers, they make it to the department store. Sarah sticks close to Daryl, hearing shuffling footsteps that could only belong to a walker. Rick spots one lone walker, a woman who at one point must have been lovely. Daryl decides to take it out so Sarah stays by Glenn while he did so.

"Damn. You are one ugly skank." And with that, take out the walker with one bolt to the head.

They all press on, eager to get to the rooftop. Finally they reach the stairs that T-Dog was talking about at the camp and make their way up, knowing that Merle is waiting for them at the top. After a bit of cardio work, they find themselves in front of a chained up door, courtesy of T-Dog. T-Dog uses the bolt cutters supplied by Dale to break the padlock and the group didn't waste a second getting onto the roof once Daryl kicks the door open.

"Merle! Merle!" Daryl calls out.

"Merle, we're here!" Sarah joins him.

When Daryl and Sarah arrive to the spot where Merle should be, there is no sign of the man. Daryl's keen eyes spot something on the ground and he cries out in horror.

"No! No!" Daryl looks up at the rest of the group, trying to contain his tears.

"No!" Daryl continues to cry out.

"Oh my God, no." Sarah covers her mouth with her hands when she sees what had Daryl upset besides Merle missing.

On the ground lays a bloody saw and right next to it just below a hanging pair of bloody handcuffs is Merle's detached hand.

~TWD~

 **A/N:** Thank you all for reading! Please leave a review on your way out, thank you!

 **Fun Facts Time (Daryl):** Fact #1: Daryl is currently the longest living original character of the AMC series.


	10. A Rescue Mission Gone Wrong

**A/N:** I can't believe it took me exactly a year to get this chapter out! That means today marks 2 years since I started "Pay to Live, Free to Die'! I feel horrible making you guys wait so long for this chapter! A lot has happened in my private life this year and this story was the last thing on my mind. My friend got married and I was one of the bridesmaids, I got a second job, and my cat of 21 1/2 years passed away in October. Also, shortly after posting the last chapter, my laptop had to be retired and I still haven't gotten a new one. I've been using the family computer since I retired my laptop, but i'm currently looking for a new laptop so i'll be able to write much more in the future! Enjoy and please leave a review this time!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own "The Walking Dead" or any of its characters. "The Walking Dead" belongs to Robert Kirkman and AMC. I only own Sarah.

~TWD~

All Daryl and Sarah could do is stare at what is left of Merle. The bloody handcuffs, the bloody saw, the bloodstained concrete, and last but not least, Merle's hand, also covered in blood. It proves too much for Daryl as he points his crossbow in T-Dog's direction, the last man that to see Merle alive. Rick points his Python at Daryl's head while T-Dog just stands there, not bothering to defend himself.

"I won't hesitate. I don't care if every walker in the city hears it." Rick warns Daryl.

"Stop it, both of you! This is not the time or place for this!" Sarah yells, not wanting anymore bloodshed.

Daryl, still emotional over the group's recent discovery, lowers his crossbow and Sarah breathes of sigh of relief.

"Ya got a do-rag or somethin'?" Daryl asks T-Dog.

"What are you going to do?" Sarah looks over at Daryl as T-Dog pulls out a blue handkerchief and hands it over.

Daryl didn't answer her, instead he walks over to Merle's hand and lays out the blue piece of fabric.

"I guess the saw blade was too dull for the handcuffs. Ain't that a bitch?" Daryl picks Merle's hand by the fingers and Sarah has to look away before she gets the urge to puke.

Daryl lays the detached limb on the handkerchief and wraps the cloth around it. He proceeds to stuff Merle's hand in Glenn's backpack, the Asian clearly wanting to puke himself.

"He must have used a tourniquet, maybe his belt. Be much more blood if he didn't." Daryl follows the trail of blood Merle left behind.

"Do you think he's alive though?" Sarah asks the hunter. Merle must be in a lot of pain and losing blood didn't help his situation.

"Only one way to find out." Daryl waves her over.

Everyone else besides T-Dog follow after the two as Daryl puts his tracking skills to good use. T-Dog quietly gathers Dale's tools he left behind the last time he was here.

The trail of blood leads to another door on the roof, left wide open by Merle which leads to some stairs.

"Merle? Ya in here?" Daryl calls down the stairs but receives no answer.

When they get down the stairs, they find a walker with her jaw missing. Daryl makes quick work of her, firing a bolt into the deceased woman's head. They go to the end of the hall, finding two motionless walkers with blood pooling around their heads.

"Had enough in him to take out these two sumbitches one handed." Daryl looks down at Merle's handiwork.

"Damn, Merle." Sarah is impressed. She notices a bloody wrench on the floor next to one of the bodies which she assumes was Merle's weapon of choice at the time before he left it behind for whatever reason.

"Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother. Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails." Daryl says as he loads his crossbow.

"Any man can pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is." Rick keeps his Python raised, just in case a walker is nearby.

"You may be right, but Merle is stubborn." Sarah says, but even stubbornness has its limits.

They all continue to follow the light trail of blood left by Merle to another room.

"Merle!" Daryl calls out hoping to find his brother at the end of the blood trail.

"We're not alone here. Remember?" Rick says, worried that Daryl will attract walkers if they're not quiet.

"Screw that. He could be bleedin' out. Ya said so yerself." Daryl replies.

The trail of blood ends at a gas lit stove with bits of blood on it. They find what's left of Merle's belt along with a slab of iron with some sort of burned substance on it. Rick takes notice and picks up the object.

"What's that burnt stuff?" Glenn asks, looking at the iron.

"Skin. He cauterized the stump." Rick answers.

Glenn looks disturbed at what Merle had to do in order to stop the bleeding.

"Told ya he was tough. Nobody can kill Merle, but Merle."

"I believe you after what i've seen so far." Sarah agrees with the hunter.

"Don't take that on faith. He's lost a lot of blood." Rick says.

"Yeah? Didn't stop him from bustin' out of this death trap." Daryl walks over to a broken window.

"He left the building? Why the hell would he do that?" Glenn asks in disbelief.

"Why wouldn't he? He's out there alone as far as he knows, doin' what he's got to do. Survivin'."

"You call that surviving? Just wandering out there in the streets, maybe passing out? What are his odds out there?" T-Dog asks.

"No worse than being handcuffed and left to rot by you sorry pricks, besides Sarah that is. Ya couldn't kill him. Ain't so worried about some dumb dead bastard." Daryl gets close to Rick's face, hoping to intimidate him.

"What about 1000 dead dumb dead bastards? Different story?" Rick is used to men like Daryl so he's not intimidated by him one bit.

"I'm with T-Dog and Rick on this one. Leaving the safety of the building in his condition is an even bigger death trap." Sarah didn't understand why Merle left, but maybe the pain and blood loss messed with his decision making.

"Why don't ya take a tally? Do what ya want. I'm gonna go get him. C'mon, Sarah." Daryl starts to take off, but Rick stops him.

"Daryl, wait." Rick puts his hand on Daryl's chest and pushes him back to stop him from going further.

"Get yer hands off me! Ya can't stop me!"

"I don't blame you. He's family, I get that. I went through hell to find mine. I know exactly on how you feel. He can't get far with that injury. We could help you check a few blocks around but only if we keep a level head."

"I could do that." Daryl gives in.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Hopefully Merle got himself to a safe place where the walkers won't find him."

"Only if we get those guns first. I'm not strolling the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions, okay?" While T-Dog did want to find Merle to rid him of his guilt, he would feel better in the city if they have more guns.

"Merle could be anywhere, but those guns are just sitting there and we need them." Glenn agrees.

"I ain't leavin' my brother behind."

"That's not what they're saying, Daryl. I want to find Merle too, but it wouldn't hurt to have some extra firepower." Better for those guns to be in their hands than someone else's.

"Surely you can see reason in that?" Rick looks at Daryl.

"Where are these guns?" Daryl sighs, having no choice but to give in.

"I left them by the tank out on the street." Rick says.

"We need to come up with a plan." T-Dog says.

"Well, does anyone have an idea on how to get those guns without being surrounded by walkers?" Sarah asks.

"I think I have one, but it's a little risky." Glenn speaks up as he goes around the room gathering various objects.

"What are you doing?" Sarah asks her Asian friend as he lays the objects on the ground.

"Showing you my plan." Glenn answers.

"With erasers?" T-Dog asks, confused.

"I don't have a map on me, so i'm making one."

"Oh, now I get it." Sarah says, understanding what Glenn is doing.

"You mentioned that this plan of yours is risky?" Rick asks the Asian.

"Only for me." Glenn replies as he grabs a black marker and draws a map on the floor.

"Why just you?"

"Just let me finish and then i'll explain." Glenn finishes up with the map and places the various objects he found on certain points on the map.

Sarah sits on the office desk next to Daryl as Glenn explains his plan. Once Glenn finishes explaining how to get the guns, it's clear that not everyone is okay with Glenn's plan.

"You're not doing this alone." Rick says after hearing Glenn's idea.

"Even I think it's a bad idea and I don't even like ya much."

"Guys, let Glenn talk." Sarah nods to Glenn.

"It's a good plan, okay, if you just hear me out. If we go out there in a group, we're slow, drawing attention. If i'm alone, I can move fast." His speed is the reason why he's the camp's supply runner.

"He's right, Glenn is pretty fast. If he wasn't, we would have never gotten out of the city that time I came here with him."

"Look. That's the tank, five blocks from where we are now. That's the bag of guns." Glenn places a black paperclip on the map and a crumpled up yellow post-it next to it.

"Here's the alley I dragged you into when we first met. That's where Daryl, Sarah, and I will go." Glenn points to another part of the map, making eye contact with Rick.

"Why me?" Daryl speaks up.

"Your crossbow is quieter than his gun and Sarah is good with a knife. While Daryl and Sarah waits here in the alley, I run up the street, grab the bag."

"You got us elsewhere?" Rick wonders what his part in Glenn's plan is.

"You and T-Dog, right. You'll be in this alley here." Glenn places an eraser on the hand drawn map.

"Two blocks away? Why?" Rick asks.

"I may not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut me off. If that happens, I won't go back to Daryl and Sarah. I'll go forward instead, all the way around to that alley where you guys are. Whichever direction I go, I got you in places to cover me. Afterwards, we'll all meet back here."

"Hey, kid, what'd ya do before all this?" Daryl asks, impressed with Glenn's tactic skills.

"Delivered pizzas. Why?"

Rick has this look on his face that clearly states that what Glenn reveals about himself makes sense on why he's good with street routes.

"Well, I think Glenn's plan is sound, unless anyone has a better idea?" Sarah's all up for Glenn's plan, despite the risks.

"It's risky, are you sure you want to do this, Glenn?" Rick still has his doubts.

"Would you rather have Sarah do it?" Glenn took notice of Sarah's speed the last time she was in Atlanta with him and it is on par with him.

"Hell no, ain't right." Sarah isn't responsible for those guns.

"I wouldn't feel right letting a woman do it." T-Dog agrees with Daryl.

"Then i'm your only choice."

"Hey, don't I get a say in this you sexist bastards?" Just because she's a woman, didn't mean she can't do the job.

"Ya ain't doin' it, woman."

"Alright, let's do this." T-Dog says, eager to get his hands on those guns.

~TWD~

After Rick and T-Dog leave to go to their destination, Glenn, Daryl, and Sarah proceed to go to theirs. The trio climb down the ladder leading to the alley when Glenn first met Rick. They stand behind a full dumpster, checking if the coast is clear.

"Ya got some balls for a Chinaman." Daryl says as he loads his crossbow.

"I'm Korean."

"Whatever." Daryl says, making Sarah giggle.

"Glenn prepares himself for a moment before dashing out into the street, leaving Daryl and Sarah behind.

"You think Glenn will be okay?" Sarah asks after watching Glenn leave.

"Ya were on a run with him, what do ya think?"

'Yeah, he'll be okay."

"After we get the guns, we'll look for Merle." He'll look for Merle by himself if he has too, but he's sure Sarah will join him on his mission.

"I'm worried about Merle, being out there severely injured." The faster they get the guns, the faster they can find Merle and get him treated for his injuries.

"My brother ain't the smartest, but he's tough."

"Yeah, if he was smart, he would have stayed in the building where it was safe."

"Quiet, ya hear that?" Daryl covers her mouth with his hand, listening to something that caught his ears.

Footsteps approach from behind and Sarah's heart beats faster and faster, fearing it is a walker. But when Sarah listens for a moment, she takes note that the footsteps behind her sound precise and controlled, unlike a walker that practically drags its feet. Daryl steps out from their hiding spot and points his crossbow at the intruder.

"Whoa, don't shoot me! What do you want?" Sarah hears a young man's voice cry out.

Sarah steps out from behind the dumpster to see who it is. The intruder is a young man, maybe around eighteen years old.

"I'm lookin' for my brother. He's hurt real bad. Ya seen him?"

"Ayudame!" The young man cries out in what sound like Spanish.

"Shut up! Yer gonna bring the geeks down on us. Answer me."

"We're not going to hurt you. Please answer him." Sarah begs, hoping this person might have seen Merle.

"Answer us." Daryl demands.

"Ayudame! Ayudame! Ayudame!" The young man repeats in his native tongue, refusing to answer them.

Daryl has clearly had enough of the man's cries and hits him with his crossbow, knocking him to the ground.

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up." Daryl muffles the young man's cries, not wanting to draw any walkers nearby.

"Please quiet down, you'll attract the dead with all that yelling." Sarah says, looking around for any sign of walkers.

Sarah hears footsteps and looks to see two men rushing over from the direction Daryl's captive came from. One of these men holds a baseball bat.

"Daryl!" But Sarah's warning comes too late when one of the men kicks Daryl away from the young man cowering in fear.

The two gang up on Daryl, kicking and hitting him repeatedly as Sarah begs for them to stop. Glenn arrives with the bag of guns and what looks like to be a sheriff's hat unharmed from his run on the street. The man wearing a blue bandanna on his head takes notice of Glenn and alerts his friend.

"That's it. That's the bag, vato. Take it!" The man says, looking at the bag that Glenn is holding.

"Glenn, run!" Sarah didn't want to see him hurt as well.

The two rush over to Glenn before he can make a clean getaway and knock him over the head, but despite being hurt, Glenn refuses to let go of the bag. Daryl uses this moment of opportunity to fire a bolt into the bald man's ass and the man screams in pain. Sarah takes advantage of Daryl's distraction and tires to tackle the bandanna man away from Glenn. She is unsuccessful as the man shows her no mercy and shoves her against the wall with such force that she hits her head hard. The back of her head hurts and she is dizzy from the impact. With Glenn's last line of defense out of the way, the man grabs Glenn.

"Get off me! Get off me!" Glenn struggles to get free.

An old silver car pulls up by the gate, most likely more friends of the two men that attacked them.

"Daryl! Daryl! Daryl!" Glenn cries out as the men stuff him into the car and drive off, leaving Daryl to fend off the walkers that are near.

Sarah is too dizzy to help Daryl as he runs over to the gate.

"Come back here, ya sumbitches!" Daryl pulls the gate back to keep the walkers out.

As soon as the gate is securely in place, he goes after the young man that the others left behind. While Daryl makes a grab for him, Rick and T-Dog rush to the scene.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Stop it." Rick stops Daryl from kicking the man's ass, but Daryl is having none of it.

"I'm gonna kick yer nuts up in yer throat!" Daryl yells while Rick holds him back.

"Let me go." The man says.

"Chill out." T-Dog holds the man against the wall so he can't escape.

"They took Glenn. That little bastard and his little bastard homie friends. I'm gonna stomp yer ass!" All Daryl wants to do is beat the shit out of their captive., but there are other things to worry about.

"Guys! Guys! We're cut off!" T-Dog didn't want to stay any longer with so many walkers against the fence.

"Get to the lab. Go." Rick orders T-Dog whole the former police officer gathers the guns Glenn left behind.

"Come on. Damn, let's go." Daryl says.

Sarah tries to get up, but is still a little woozy from her head injury. Daryl takes notice and rushes to her aid.

"C'mon, we gotta go." Daryl helps her up and follows after Rick.

~TWD~

It didn't take long for everyone to get back to where they made their plan earlier, only without Glenn. Sarah sits on one of the desks, holding the back of her head.

"That was stupid, that prick coulda bashed yer head in with that bat of his." Daryl's glad the man didn't use his bat on her. The man had a mean swing and Daryl can feel it where he was hit.

"I wasn't thinking at the time, I just wanted to help Glenn."

"Ya still dizzy?"

"I'll be okay, but what are we going to do now? We got the guns, but we lost Glenn in the process." Sarah can only hope that Glenn is okay.

"We're gonna get him back." Rick declares.

"How?"

"Ya wanna use the kid?" Daryl figures out Rick's plan pretty quick.

"He's the only one that can lead us to Glenn." Rick confirms.

"I think T-Dog will want to be relieved of his babysitting duties, so let's talk to the guy and find Glenn." Sarah suggests, eager to find her Asian companion as soon as possible.

~TWD~

The prisoner is not happy being tied up in a chair, but the group didn't want to risk him running away.

"Sorry about all this, but we need to ask you some questions." Sarah thinks that having a woman talk to him will put him at ease.

"Those men you were with, we need to know where they went." Rick states, but the the man refuses to give away such sensitive information.

"I ain't telling you nothing."

"Please, we just want our friend back." But her plea fall on deaf ears.

"Jesus man. What the hell happened back there?" T-Dog can't believe how wrong things went earlier. Everything was going according to plan and one panicked loud mouthed young man that refused to shut up when being confronted ruined everything.

"I told ya, this little turd and his douche bag friends came out of nowhere and jumped us." Daryl glares at the young man.

"You're the one that jumped me, puto, screaming about trying to find his brother like it's my damn fault."

"Guys, can we talk about this later? We have bigger things to worry about." Who knows what they're doing to Glenn right now? Sarah can only hope that he's unharmed and not dead.

"They took Glenn. Could have taken Merle too." Daryl gets back on the subject.

"Merle? What kind of hick name is that? I wouldn't name my dog Merle."

Daryl tries to give the restrained man a harsh kick, but Rick holds him back.

"Damn it, Daryl. Back off."

"Kicking him won't solve anything." Sarah grabs his arm in case he tries again.

Daryl gets an idea and goes over to Glenn's backpack, digging through its contents to find what he's looking for. When he pulls out a familiar object wrapped in a blue handkerchief, Sarah tries not to gag.

"Wanna see what happened to the last guy that pissed me off? " Daryl unwraps the handkerchief, revealing Merle's dismembered hand and slaps it down on the young man's lap. The terrified man screams and desperately tries to get away from it, but to no avail with him being tried to the chair. Daryl grabs him and gives him a threatening look.

"Start with the feet this time."

"Daryl, that's gross." Sarah decides to play along, understanding that Daryl is only trying to scare the man into revealing his group's location.

Rick pulls Daryl away from the man again, wanting to talk to him next.

"The men you were with took our friend. All we want is to talk to them, see if we can work something out."

The man seems to understand that there's no way out of his situation, so he reluctantly agrees to take the remaining four members to his group's hideout.

~TWD~

The unnamed man leads them to two closed large wooden doors. For a hideout, it seems unguarded. In fact, the place looks abandoned and run down.

"You sure you're up for this?" Rick asks T-Dog.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"One wrong move, ya get an arrow in the ass. Just so ya know." Daryl threatens their prisoner.

"G's gonna take that arrow out of my ass and shove it up yours. Just so you know."

Sarah can't help but laugh at the man's comeback which earns a glare from Daryl.

"G?" Rick asks, confused.

"Guillermo. He's the man here." The prisoner clears up the confusion.

"In other words, we have to speak to Guillermo in order to get Glenn back." Sarah sums up.

"Okay then. Let's go see Guillermo." Rick cocks his shotgun, ready for action.

Daryl pushes the young man in front of him as Rick takes the lead. Sarah keeps close to Daryl, looking around for any sign of danger. They climb through a broken window into an open area that looks abandoned. Daryl lets the man climb through the broken window first so he can keep an eye on him. Rick lets the prisoner pass, but makes sure he didn't take the chance to run off. The cautiously approach the pair of double wooden doors, weapons ready if anything goes wrong. Sarah hears the door unlock and creaks open to reveal the man in charge walking out with no sign of fear for his visitors.

"You okay, little man?" The presumed leader asks the hostage.

"They're gonna cut off my feet, carnal."

"Cops do that?" The leader takes notices of Rick's uniform.

"Not him. This redneck puto here. He cut off some dude's hand, man. He showed it to me."

Sarah wants to correct him and reveal that it's actually Merle's hand. But the way he describes Daryl's scare tactic is quite entertaining, so she stays quiet.

"Shut up." Daryl says.

"Daryl, not now." Sarah warns the hunter.

"Hey, that's the vato right there. He shot me in the ass with an arrow. What's up, homes, huh?" The bald man that attacked them in the alleyway points his gun at Daryl, angry about his injury caused by the hunter.

"Chill, eae, chill. Chill. This true? He wants Miguelito's feet? That's pretty sick, man." Guillermo pushes the gun down away from Daryl.

Sarah can't contain her laughter as soon as the man that Daryl shot limps out holding his asscheek.

"Sarah." Rick warns.

"Sorry." Sarah contains herself as best she can.

"We were hoping for a calm discussion." Rick directs at Guillermo.

"That hillbilly jumps Felipe's little cousin, beats on him, threatens to cut off his feet. Felipe gets an arrow in the ass and you want a calm discussion? You fascinate me." While the man makes a good point, Sarah wants to also point out that Daryl did not jump the man called Miguel until after Glenn was taken, but stays silent on the issue.

"Heat of the moment. Mistakes were made on both sides." Rick admits.

"Who's that dude to you anyway? You don't look related." Guillermo looks over at Daryl.

"He's one of our group, more or less. I'm sure you have a few like him." Rick hopes Daryl didn't take offense to his comment.

"You got my brother in there?" Daryl asks, itching to find Merle.

"Yes, please? We've been looking for him." Sarah stands closer to Daryl.

"Sorry, we're fresh out of white boys. But I got Asian. You interested?"

"I have one of yours, you have one of mine. Sounds like an even trade." Rick reasons with Guillermo.

"Your man for ours." Sarah says, wanting to get Glenn back.

"Don't sound even to me." Guillermo says, wanting more than just the hostage.

"G. Come on, man." Miguel starts to whimper, realizing he might not get out of his hostage situation after all.

"My people got attacked. Where's the compensation for their pain and suffering? More to the point, where's my bag of guns?"

"Guns?" Rick pretends to be dumbfounded.

"The bag Miguel saw in the street. The bag Felipe and Jorge were going back to get. That bag of guns."

"You're mistaken." Rick says.

"I don't think so." As far as Guillermo is concerned, the guns belong to his group.

"About it being yours. It's my bag of guns." Rick is telling the truth about the guns, but doubts Guillermo will believe him.

"The bag was in the street. Anybody could come around and say it was theirs. I'm supposed to take your word? What's to stop me from unloading on you right here and now and take what's mine?" Guillermo says, making a point.

"You could do that. Or not." Rick says, looking up to his left to reveal T-Dog on the rooftop with a rifle aiming straight at Guillermo.

"Oye." Guillermo hollers.

Three figures appear from the top of the main roof with one of the figures wearing a bag over his head. The man on the left pulls of the bag to reveal Glenn, who looks a little scared, but otherwise unharmed.

"I see two options. You come back with Miguel and my bag of guns, everybody walks. Or you can come back locked and loaded, we'll see which side spills more blood." Guillermo gives his terms and slowly goes back into the building and shuts the doors.

~TWD~

In a nearby building after their talk with Guillermo, Rick goes through his bag of guns while the group discusses their options.

"Them guns are worth more than gold. Gold won't protect yer family or put food on the table Ya willin' to give that up for that kid?" Daryl asks.

"If I knew we'd get Glenn back, I might agree. But you think that vato across the way the is just gonna hand him over?"T-Dog says.

"You calling G a liar?" Miguel says earning a glare from Daryl.

"Are ya a part of this? Ya want to hold onto yer teeth?" Daryl slaps Miguel's head with his hand.

"Daryl, leave him alone." Sarah says, thinking that Miguel had suffered enough abuse from Daryl.

"Question is, do you trust that man's word?" T-Dog asks, looking at Rick.

"No, question is are ya willin' to bet on it? Could be more than them guns. Could be yer life. Glenn worth that to ya?" Daryl has his own reasons for not wanting to risk his life, but he knows Sarah is going to do whatever it takes to get Glenn back and Merle would be pissed if something happened to her on his watch.

"What life I have I owe to him. I was nobody to Glenn, just some idiot stuck in a tank. He could have walked away, but he didn't. Neither will I." Rick says.

"In other words, Glenn is worth it. Glenn would do the same for any of us if we were in trouble. We have to same him." Sarah stands by Rick's decision to save to Asian that had not just saved Rick's life, but hers as well.

"So yer gonna hand the guns over?" Daryl asks.

"I didn't say that. There's nothing keeping you three here. You should get out, head back to camp."

"And tell your family what?" T-Dog rubs the back of his head.

Silence fills the room as no one knows how to answer that. All Sarah knows is that Lori would not approve leaving Rick in Atlanta alone against a gang of men that could shoot him dead and take the guns.

"I'm not leaving Glenn behind so i'm going with you no matter how you feel about it." Sarah didn't have any intention of leaving Glenn to an uncertain fate. Rick isn't the only one that owes Glenn.

Rick stares at Daryl for his answer and the hunter silently responds by grabbing one of the guns off the desk. T-Dog follows suit and Rick gives him a gun.

"Come on, this is nuts. Just do like G says." Miguel is desperate to be free of these people and be with his own.

"I don't like this anymore than you do. We need these guns, but Glenn is important to us too. We tried reasoning with Guillermo, but he only cares about the guns."

"No use talkin' to a brat like him. Here, take this." Daryl gives her a handgun.

"Thanks." The gun fits perfectly into her hand. Sarah only hopes that she won't have to use it on the living.

~TWD~

The group heads back to the meeting spot; Miguel taking the lead with the barrel of Daryl's gun digging into his back. The door opens, revealing Guillermo's men and Daryl pushes Miguel inside before following him. Guillermo approaches the group, looking a little concerned.

"I see my guns, but they're not all in the bag." Guillermo eyes the bag.

"That's because they're not yours. I thought I mentioned that." Rick looks Guillermo square in the eye.

"Let's just shoot those fools right now, ese. All right? Unload on their asses, ese." One of Guillermo's men say.

"I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation." Guillermo says.

"No, i'm pretty clear." Rick cuts the rope that bound Miguel's hands together and pushes him toward Guillermo.

"You have your man. I want mine." Rick demands.

"I'm gonna chop up your boy. I'm gonna feed him to my dogs. They're the nastiest man-eating bitches you ever saw. I picked them up from Satan at a yard sale. I told you how it has to be. Are you woefully deaf?" Guillermo almost sounds desperate, feeling cornered by Rick despite having the upper hand.

"No, by hearing's fine. You said come locked and loaded. Okay then, we're here." Everyone points their guns at each other.

"Stay behind me." Daryl whispers to Sarah.

"Okay." Sarah tightens her grip on the gun in her hand. Sarah feels outnumbered, being the only woman in the room.

The tension is interrupted by the sound of an old woman's voice.

"Felipe! Felipe!" The female voice cries out in alarm.

An old woman with grey hair wearing a nightgown steps out of the crowd of men. Sarah can't help but feel relief that she's not the only woman here. But that leave one question. What is she doing here?

"Abuela, go back with the others, now." Felipe refuses to lower his gun.

"Get that old lady out of the line of fire!" Daryl shouts.

"Wait, Daryl. Let's see what happens." Sarah says.

"Abuela, listen to your m'hijo, okay? This is not the place for you right now." Guillermo turns his face away from Rick's barrel of the shotgun to speak to the old woman.

"Mr. Gilbert is having trouble breathing. He needs his asthma stuff. Carlito didn't find it. He needs his medicine." The elderly woman pleads.

"Daryl, I think there's more to these people than a bunch of thugs." Sarah whispers in Daryl's ear so not to draw attention.

"Felipe, go take care of it, okay. And take your grandmother with you." Guillermo orders.

Felipe speaks in his native tongue to his grandmother, but she focuses her attention on Rick and not her grandson.

"Who are these men and woman? Don't take him." The grandmother approaches Rick.

"Ma'am?" Rick is confused.

"Felipe is a good boy. He have his trouble but he pull himself together. We need him here." The grandmother pleads.

It becomes clear to Sarah that the old woman thinks Rick is here to take away her grandson. It's possible she's not aware of what is going on outside these walls.

"Ma'am, i'm not here to arrest your grandson." Rick assures the elderly woman.

"Then what do you want him for?" The woman's face shows relief that he grandson isn't in trouble with the law.

"He's... helping us find a missing person. Fella named Glenn." Rick says calmly to her.

"The Asian boy? He's with Mr. Gilbert. Come. Come, i'll show you. He needs his medicine." The grandmother leads Rick away from the crowd of men.

"Let 'em pass." Guillermo sighs, looking defeated if not tired.

"I like this lady." Sarah says.

"C'mon, let's go." Daryl keeps Sarah close as they make their way past the group of armed men.

The woman leads Rick by the hand to another building. The group enters a clean building filled with the elderly and other folks.

"Abuela, por favor. Take me to him." Felipe says, letting his grandmother lead him away from the visitors.

"What is this place?" Sarah asks no one in particular.

They walk into what looks like a cafeteria, occupied with some more elderly people. A group of them and an unharmed Glenn surround someone sitting in a wheelchair.

"All right. All right. Nice and easy. Just breathe. Just let it out. Just breathe." Felipe gives what appears to be Mr. Gilbert his inhaler.

"What the hell is this?" Rick asks Glenn, confused on what he's witnessing.

"An asthma attack. Couldn't get his breath all of the sudden."

"I'm glad you're okay, Glenn. We were worried about you." Sarah walks over and wraps her arms around him in a friendly hug, happy he is alright.

"I thought you were being eaten by dogs, man." T-Dog looks over at Glenn.

When Glenn turns around and looks down at three little chihuahuas sitting in a dog bed, Sarah bursts out laughing.

"Most evil nasty man-eating bitches indeed." Sarah laughs.

"Could I have a word with you?" Rick directs his question at Guillermo.

Guillermo says nothing, but walks away and allows Rick to follow. Sarah eavesdrops on their conversation and T-Dog follows suit.

"You're the dumbest son of a bitch I ever met. We walked in there ready to kill every last one of you." Rick says.

"Well, i'm glad it didn't go down that way." It's clear that Guillermo is relieved that no one got hurt.

"If it had, that blood would be on my hands."

"Mine too. We'd have fought back. Wouldn't be the first time we've had to. Protect the food, the medicine, what's left of it. These people, the old ones, the stuff just took off, just left 'em here to die."

Their hostility now makes sense to Sarah. Even though Rick was being reasonable at the beginning, Guillermo couldn't take the chance and end up deceived. Not when so many people that can't even defend themeselves is at stake.

"Rick looks around to take on the information he just got from Guillermo.

"Me and Felipe were the only ones that stayed."

"What are you, doctors?" Rick asks.

"Felipe is a nurse, a special care provider. Me, i'm the custodian." Guillermo confesses.

Sarah decides no to eavesdrop on the two anymore and focuses on Glenn.

"So, the whole hostage thing was an act?"

"Yeah, they just wanted to protect their people. I tried telling them that we're good people, but they were desperate for the guns." Glenn didn't like tricking his comrades, but he didn't have much of a choice.

"Makes sense, seeing that they have so many people to protect and probably not enough guns to do so."

Rick silently signals the group to follow and Guillermo to another room to discuss things more privately.

"What about the rest of your crew?" Rick asks, referring to everyone else besides Guillermo and Felipe.

"The vatos trickle in, to check on their parents, their grandparents. They see how things are and most decide to stay. It's a good thing too. We need the muscle. The people we've encountered since things fell apart, the worst kind, plunderers, the kind that take by force."

"That's not who we are."

"How was I to know? My people got attacked and you show up with Miguel hostage, appearences." Guillermo says.

Sarah wanted to correct him by saying his people attacked first and left Miguel behind, but decides to keep her mouth shut on the matter.

"Guess the world changed."

"No. It's the same as it ever was. The weak get taken. So we do what we can here. The vatos work on those cars, talk about getting the old people out of the city. But most can't even get to the bathroom by themselves, so that's just a dream. Still, it keeps the crew busy, and that's worth something. So we barred all the windows, welded all the doors shit except for one entrance. The vatos, they go out, scavenge what they can to keep us going. We watch the perimeter night and day and we wait. The people here, they all look up to me now. I don't even know why."

"Because they can." Rick can see why the people see Guillermo as a leader. He care about the people more than he cares about himself. Rick silently hands over his shotgun to Guillermo and proceeds to dig through the gun bag. One by one, he takes out some guns and give him to the man that could have killed him and his comrades, but didn't.

~TWD~

The group leaves the nursing home, eager to head back to camp despite their reason for coming to the city ending in failure.

"Admit it, you only came back to Atlanta for the hat." Glenn is in good spirits, feeling glad that he was rescued and that he's going back to the safety of the camp.

"Don't tell anybody." Rick says.

"You've given away half our guns and ammo."

"Not nearly half."

"For what? Bunch of old farts who are gonna die off momentarily anyhow? Seriously, how long ya think they got?"

"How long to any of us?"

"Let it go, Daryl. It's for a good cause. Rick did the right thing."

The group slows to a stop when they realize that the mode of transportation seems to have gone missing.

"Oh my god." Glenn at the empty space in disbelief.

"Where the hell's our van?" Daryl asks angerily.

"We left it right here. Who would take it?"

Daryl looks over at Sarah, having the same thought on who could have taken the van.

"Merle." Rick says, voicing their thoughts.

"He's gonna be takin' some vengeance back to camp." Daryl is sure of it.

"What do we do now?"

"We walk." Rick replies.

"If we walk, we won't reach camp until nightfall and who knows what damage Merle will cause in that time period." Not that Merle can do much damage in is condition.

"I agree with ya, but it's too risky to go looking for a car and a car can't fit all of us anyway."

"Well then, let's start walking."

~TWD~

The group leaves the confines of the city, but have a long way to go before they reach their destination.

"I've had enough of city life." Sarah sighs.

"You and me both." T-Dog agrees.

"I never got the chance to thank you guys for coming after me." Glenn will always be grateful to them for it.

"You would have done the same for us." Sarah says.

"You saved me when I was stuck in that tank even when you could've looked the other way." Now that Rick has saved Glenn, they're even.

"Well, I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't. The guilt would have eaten me alive." T-Dog feels guilty enough about Merle, no need to add to it.

"That's karma at work. You saved Rick and he saved you." Sarah says.

"Yeah. Thanks guys."

"Ya think Merle is at camp right now?" Daryl asks.

"If he is, i'm not worried for the others."

"Why?"

"He cut off is hand, Daryl. The pain, blood loss, and dehydration will make him easier to deal with." At least, Sarah hopes so.

"She's right, Daryl. Your brother will be too weak to cause any harm." If Merle does act up, Rick knows Shane will be there to restrain him.

"If he didn't crash the van first." T-Dog mentions.

"And if Shane doesn't shoot him." Sarah hopes Shane won't kill Merle.

"That asshole better not shoot my brother or he'll be wishin' he was dead."

"Shane won't shoot an injured man." Rick has known the man for a long time and knows he won't do such a thing.

"He will if the group is in danger." Glenn says.

"Then we better hurry." T-Dog walks a little faster.

"Yeah, or i'll kill Shane." Something Daryl won't mind doing.

"No one is killing anybody." Sarah sighs.

"Let's just get back to camp before it gets dark." Rick is eager to see his wife and son again.

"I don't think that's possible, Rick. We got a long way to go on foot and it will mostly be dark by then."

"Shoulda taken the car keys instead of leaving them on the ignition." T-Dog says.

"Yeah, why didn't you take the keys with you, Glenn?" Sarah didn't even realize that Glenn left the keys behind. If she had noticed, she would have taken them.

"I didn't think we'd be gone that long. How was I supposed to know that Merle would chop his hand off and steal the van?"

"Gotta admit, I didn't see it comin'. Gonna beat his face in when we get back." Of course, he's sure Merle had no idea it was theirs. But Daryl still feels the urge to punch the injured man.

"After we patch him up, right?"

"Well, no shit."

"You can punch him, but let me slap him first." Sarah wouldn't be having sore feet if Merle had just laid off the drugs or stayed on the roof and waited for help. He deserves a slap at least.

"If he doesn't hit you first." T-Dog says.

"The hell, man. Merle don't beat women."

"That's a relief 'cause he throws some mean punches." T-Dog rubs his cheek.

"He does stupid shit when he's high." Daryl admits, having been in T-Dog's position many times in the past.

"I'm surprised he didn't knock any of my teeth out with the way he was punching me. Hell, he shoulda broken my nose at least. Glad he didn't."

"I'm getting rid of his stash when we get back." His drug habit put people in danger and Sarah isn't having it anymore.

"Merle will kill you if you try." But Daryl has to agree with Sarah, enough is enough.

"Are you going to let him?" Sarah already knows the answer, but asks anyway.

"No."

"Good. I was being too nice when I let him keep them. He can't be trusted on runs anymore until he sobers up." Sarah doubt he'll be allowed to join on supply runs after the stunts he pulled.

"Good luck with that." Merle can get pretty mean when his drugs are taken from him.

"Daryl, he could get someone killed next time." If Merle's habits get someone killed next time, he'll be kicked out of the group or worse.

"Ya think I don't know that?"

"Enough you two, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Rick says.

"I just hope he's okay, despite everything." Despite his flaws, Sarah still cares for Merle.

"Like I said before, Merle's tough."

"He's not superman, he can bleed." Sarah sighs.

"Didn't he stop the bleeding though?" Glenn asks.

"Yeah, used his belt so he wouldn't bleed out." Daryl remembers the remains of Merle's belt near the stove.

"Then he burned the stump." Rick can't imagine how painful that must've been.

"Your brother's got balls, i'll give you that." T-Dog is impressed.

"But he isn't smart."

"Whatcha say, woman?" Daryl glares at her.

"I mean, he got high while in a city full of walkers. It wasn't a smart thing to do." Sarah is not afraid pf Daryl. She knows he won't hurt her.

"Kinda makes sense that he was high." Glenn recalls Merle's behavior when on the supply run.

"Whatcha mean?"

"Well, he was firing his rifle down at the walkers from the roof. There was no point in doing that since we were safe in the building." Glenn says.

"What Glenn is saying is, that if he was in his right mind, he would have saved his ammo instead of firing down on them and attracting more."

"He did somethin' like that before." Daryl calms down, knowing Sarah is right.

"Really?" Glenn is interested.

"Yeah, when I first reunited with him after shit hit the fan." Both stories have some similarities. Daryl's incident with Merle was also on the roof of a building and guns were involved.

"Are you talking about the police station?" Sarah recalls.

"He was so out of it, he fired his gun on me thinkin' I was a cop before I could even open the door." Daryl is glad he got out of the way of the door since the bullets ripped right through it just as he was about to open it.

"You would think he would have learned his lesson the first time."

"He ain't at his best when he's on drugs."

"Yeah." Today's incident is a testament to that.

"The drugs in his system probably dulled his pain when he sawed off his hand." Rick says.

"We'll have our hands full dealin' with him." Then again, that's always the case when it comes to Merle.

"I'll do what I can to help, even though i'm angry with him." Sarah wants Merle to make a full recovery, but she also wants him to take some responsibility for his actions.

"Ya ain't the only one."

"It's my fault things turned out this way." Rick says.

"Your cops instincts kicked in, old habits die hard." Sarah can't blame Rick. Merle needed to learn his lesson. The only problem is, that lesson came at a price in the form of Merle's hand.

"I don't give a rat's ass about habits, my brother lost his hand." That's all Daryl cares about. He only cut Rick some slack because the man wanted to make up for what he did.

"At least we got more firepower now." T-Dog says.

"And we're all alive." Glenn adds.

"That's gotta count for something."

"You know Rick, you just joined the group and I don't know much about you. Since we have a ways to go, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?" Sarah says, waning to pass the time.

"Well, you know that Lori and Carl are the only family I have left. Shane and I went to high school together and joined the police force, we ended up being partners." Rick smiles at the memories of his early years with Shane.

"So, he's like family to you in a sense." Sarah know Shane thinks of him like family.

"Practically my brother." Rick confirms.

"How about you, Glenn?" Sarah wants to know more about him.

"I'm originally from Michigan and came here for college."

"You mentioned earlier that you delivered pizza?" Sarah remembers Glenn mentioning it earlier.

"Had to pay for those student loans somehow, not that it matters now." The one thing Glenn doesn't miss is the student loans. They would have taken years to pay off had he completed college.

"Man, pizza sound good right about now." T-Dog misses eating pizza on football Sunday.

"With sausage and pepperoni." Sarah says.

"You gotta have mushrooms too." T-Dog adds, earning a grossed out look from Sarah.

"Ew, that's gross."

"You don't like mushrooms?"

"No." Sarah shakes her head.

"So you won't eat anything that has mushrooms?" T-Dog asks.

"Pretty much."

"What about pineapple on pizza?" Glenn pitches in.

"That doesn't sound so bad." Sarah would prefer eating pineapple on a salad than on pizza though.

"We had pineapple and ham on our pizzas. It was a popular item." Glenn says.

"Why are we talkin' about pizza?"

"Because Glenn used to deliver pizza and it sounds good." Sarah replies.

"I could go for a cheeseburger with fries." Rick can't help but add his two cents in.

"I used to eat my fries with honey." Sarah says.

"Honey?" T-Dog raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but I grew out of that little habit."

"That doesn't sound like a bad combination." Glenn wouldn't mind giving it a try.

"I used to think it was fries and honey until I found out it was actually fries and ketchup." Sarah blushes in embarrassment.

"How did you make that assumption that fries with honey was normal?" Curiosity gets the best of Rick.

"I was a kid."

"Gotta try that sometime." T-Dog makes a mental note to try it if he ever gets the chance.

"You know, this is nice." Sarah says with a peaceful expression.

"What are ya talkin' about, woman?"

"Talking about casual things for a change. It gets tiring talking about survival stuff you know?" For a moment, it's like the world they knew never ended when they talk like this.

"It is a nice change of pace." Glenn agrees.

"Best not to get too relaxed right now. We still have a way to go." Rick looks ahead of him.

"Trust me Rick, i'm far from relaxed." Her sore feet like to remind her every time she takes a step.

"But what you say is true. Talking casually about normal things is nice." T-Dog says, walking beside Glenn.

"Ain't nothin' normal no more."

"Which is why we need to cherish these conversations." Because like Daryl says, nothing will ever be normal again and over time the way things used to be will be talked about less and less.

"Yer gonna cherish a conversation about food?"

"One day, some of us won't be around anymore. I want to cherish my time with everyone with the time we have left. Every conversation is special, even if it is about simple pleasures such as food."

"We've been safe at camp for so long that we forget that the next moment could be our last." Glenn says.

"And we"re not safe at camp anymore after that walker showed up this morning." T-Dog reminds everyone.

"I forgot about that We should move camp to a safer location, but I doubt Shane would agree." Sarah knows how stubborn Shane is.

"Why?"

"Just from my earlier interactions with him. Lori wanted to put up warning signs so people would steer clear of Atlanta, but Shane would not allow it." Sarah can't understand why Shane wouldn't allow signs to be put up. She can understand that he didn't want Lori to do it, but why not let someone else handle it? It made no sense.

"When did this happen?" Glenn can't remember such a conversation taking place.

"You were in Atlanta at the time." Sarah says.

"Oh, that makes sense."

"I don't think that's a bad idea, but I wouldn't want Lori to do it." Rick didn't want his wife in danger.

"He wouldn't let anyone do it." Sarah says.

"I'll talk to Shane about it when we get back." Rick thinks it's a good idea. More lives can be saved that way.

"If you both decide that warning people is a good idea, i'll help out." Sarah didn't want anymore people to get killed in the city. It would be best to let them know that it isn't safe.

"I'd appreciate it."

"No point in warnin' folks."

"Why not, Daryl?" Sarah thinks it's a good idea.

"Anyone with a brain would know to stay clear of the cities." A city is a place that was full of people so it would only make sense for it to be full of walkers now.

"That's true." But Sarah still wants to leave some warning signs around just in case.

"So don't bother."

"I met a father and son that said they were going to Atlanta. I need to warn them at least." Rick worries for the duo that helped him understand the new changes in the world.

"Same guy you mentioned back at camp?" Sarah asks.

"The very same."

"Why not just contact him through that radio in your gun bag?" Sarah reminds him.

"Thank you for reminding me. I forgot I had it." Rick was more focused on the guns at the time so the radio never crossed his mind.

"Hey guys, can we take a break? We're far enough away from the city." Glenn asks, needing to catch his breath.

"Yeah."

"Man, all we've been doing is run around." T-Dog sits down on the hard ground to rest his feet.

"I can't wait to lay down. My feet are bothering me." Sarah says, sitting next to T-Dog.

"I'm hungry." Glenn never the chance to eat breakfast this morning and after seeing all those elderly people having trouble surviving he didn't want to ask for their rations.

"I put some protein bars in your backpack when you weren't looking." Sarah says.

Glenn takes off his backpack and proceeds to dig through it. Sure enough, two protein bars sat at the bottom of the bag.

"Only two?" Glenn would think Sarah would have secretly packed one bar for each of the group members.

"You know how Shane is." Sarah shrugs.

"How Shane is?" Rick questions.

"He likes to keep tabs on supplies."

"So, you didn't want to upset him by taking too much?" Glenn sums up.

"Yeah."

"We'll be back by nightfall. There'll be plenty of food to chow down on then." T-Dog can't wait to get some food in his stomach. All this running has worked up his appetite.

"If there's any leftovers." Glenn hopes the group at camp will save them some.

"Which there won't." Daryl says.

"Maybe i'll save these protein bars for later. I don't want you to get in trouble for taking these without Shane knowing." Glenn stuffs the protein bars back into his backpack for safekeeping.

"Suit yourself, Glenn. I don't mind taking the blame."

"Well, I care."

"Should we keep moving?" Sarah gets up from her spot.

"Yeah, Merle is probably causing a shitstorm right about now." Daryl is eager to get back to camp to see his older brother.

"Speaking of Merle. do we have the necessary medical supplies to treat Merle's injury?" Sarah didn't know how they are doing on medical supplies back at camp.

"I don't know, Sarah. I'm sure I grabbed a few medical items on my last few trips to Atlanta." Glenn walks beside Sarah at a steady pace.

"Good, we're going to need them." Sarah is relieved that Merle will have everything he needs to make a recovery.

"Let's haul ass, people!" Daryl jogs ahead of the group.

"Someone's eager." T-Dog sighs, taking his time to save his energy.

"I don't blame him. I would be doing the same thing if I was in his shoes." Sarah watches Daryl jog further away from the group while everyone else walks a little ways behind him.

"You got family?" T-Dog asks.

"Siblings? I have three older brothers." Sarah smiles at the memory of them.

"I'm an only child." T-Dog informs her.

"I can't imagine being an only child. Wasn't it lonely?" Sarah can't imagine what her life would be like without her brothers.

"At times I wished I had siblings, but being an only child means you get all the attention." T-Dog made friends easily, so he wasn't that lonely.

"I got a lot of attention, being the only girl."

"Bet that made your brothers jealous."

"I don't think so, Rob might've been jealous sometimes." Rob never had her back when she needed it. Her other two brothers however always came to her defense.

"Rob?" T-Dog assumes Rob is one of her brothers.

"He's the third born." Sarah answers.

"Oh."

"He picked on me the most. Never really thought why until now." Sarah shrugs.

"I bet you miss the rest of your family." T-Dog misses his family too.

"Don't we all?"

"You think you'll ever see them again?"

"I hope so." Sarah never had the chance to get in contact with her family when things got bad so she didn't know what happened to them.

"I hope we all get that chance. Hell, Rick found his family so you should be able to find them too." T-Dog cheers her up.

"That would be nice."

"Can't ya guys pick up the pace?" Daryl asks annoyingly.

"Daryl, not all of us have stamina like you do. We'll get there, it's only a matter of when." Sarah catches up with him with some effort.

"I wanna get there sooner rather than later."

"I know you're worried about Merle, so am I. Merle will be too tired from blood loss and pain to do much at camp." She hopes he's resting right now and not causing trouble.

"That gives Shane an advantage." And advantage Daryl didn't want him to have.

"I won't let him get away with it if he does hurt Merle."

"Neither will I." Rick doubts Shane will do anything harmful though.

"I'm still mad at him for putting you in that choke-hold." There were other ways Shane could have restrained him. Something tells her that Shane probably enjoyed choking Daryl.

"You are?" Daryl actually forgot all about it, but now that he remembers, it just makes him dislike Shane more.

"Yes, it didn't matter if you were out of control." Then again, Daryl did have his knife out so maybe it was for the best after all.

"That prick could care less about my brother."

"You had every right to be upset. You just found out that your only brother was trapped in a city full of walkers. If I was in your position, I would have been upset too." Sarah would have handled it better than Daryl did though.

"Well, i'm sure the prick has his hands full right now."

"Funny, he said the same thing about you." To be fair, Dale said the same thing too but Sarah keeps this to herself.

"Of course he did." Daryl scoffs.

"Yep, said you would be a handful when you found out about Merle. Guess he was right." It took two former police officers to restrain him and one had to use illegal tactics to do it.

"The only reason that asshole even allowed us to stay at the Quarry is because we both know how to hunt." No one else knew how so it is up to the Dixon brothers to bring them fresh meat.

"He said Merle doesn't contribute to the camp." Sarah confesses.

"That's bullshit, he hunts with me." Merle is just as good of a hunter as Daryl is.

"That's what I told Shane."

"And what did he say?"

"He said that you were enough." The more people that hunt, the more meat is Sarah's opinion.

"Never heard that asshole say a single thank you for my kills." Next time Daryl hunts, he'll make sure Shane won't get a scrap of meat until he thanks him for it.

"I do."

"Yer the only one that does." She is the first person at camp to ever do so.

"Because i'm grateful for it." Having fresh meat is way better than eating beans from a can.

"Shame about that deer though." T-Dog was craving some venison himself.

"You mean the one from this morning?" Rick asks.

"Yeah, dumb dead fucker got to it first." Daryl can't believe that he spent all those hours of hunting for nothing.

"There's always next time." Sarah hopes there's a next time for venison.

"Yeah, next time."

"With Merle out of commission, it's up to you to get some venison."

"You really are cravin' the stuff huh?" To be honest, Daryl is too.

"You have no idea, mouth is watering just thinking about it. All we've been eating is beans, peaches, fish, and squirrel. I'm ready for a menu change."

"I'll see what I can do." Daryl chuckles.

"Please do." Sarah says.

"I doubt i'll be goin' on a hunt anytime soon. So, it'll be a while."

"Yeah, got to take care of Merle first." Sarah could always take care of Merle while Daryl hunts though.

"Doubt we'll be stayin' at the Quarry too."

"Why?"

"Ya saw what happened this morning. Walker stumbled too close to camp. Where there's one, there's more of them bastards." Lucky for them, it was the only one that got close so far.

"Did you run into any on your hunt?" Sarah never asked since there wasn't time to with Merle missing.

"No, last time I saw walkers was when I met ya and that was far from camp." The only reason those walkers were there was because of Sarah so they don't count.

"You would think camping in the Quarry would keep us safe."

"Ain't gonna last forever, Sarah. It's about time we find a new location."

"Yeah, you're right. But where would we go?" Sarah has no clue where they will go next because she's not familiar with the area.

"Whatever Shane wants, I suppose. Me and Merle will just go elsewhere." As long as there's some woods nearby, he didn't care where they go.

Sarah tries to hide the hurt she is feeling when Daryl did not include her. She likes the group for the most part, but she likes the Dixon brothers more.

"Ya wanna go with us?" Daryl won't mind if Sarah joins them. He's sure Merle would be happy about it too.

"Really?" Sarah perks up.

"We ain't gonna leave ya behind unless ya wanna stay with the others." Daryl won't admit it, but he would miss her presence if she decided to stay with the campers.

"No, i'll go with you two." Sarah says without hesitation.

"Merle will be glad to hear it." Daryl too is secretly glad with her answer.

"I think we should stay with the group though." Sarah says.

"Why?"

"More people means more protection, right?" More guns, more medical supplies, and more food are also good things to have.

"Ya think me an' Merle can't protect ya?"

"I didn't say that." Sarah is thinking about Merle's condition more than herself.

"Then what do ya mean?" Daryl decides to let her explain before letting his temper get the best of him.

"Just safety in numbers and all that. Of course, it does have its faults." Sarah admits.

"Whatcha mean?" Daryl listens to what she has to say.

"It only takes one person to screw up and get someone killed. Then there's splitting rations; who's going to need food the most when we're low on it. Regardless of those faults, Merle will be in no condition to travel until he gets his strength back so we need the group."

"Ya make a few good points. Guess we'll talk to Merle about it later." They could leave the group at any time so there's really no rush.

"Yes, all three of us need to decide together."

"We'll wait for Merle to get better first." Daryl decides.

"Agreed."

"You guys aren't really planning on leaving, are you?" Glenn asks, overhearing the whole conversation.

""Think Merle would want to stay after what happened?" Daryl will have to convince Merle otherwise though for the time being.

"What about you, Sarah?"

"Wherever the Dixons go, I go." As long as the Dixons allow it, she'll stay by their side.

"I hope you guys stay." Glenn likes Sarah, so he hopes she sticks around.

"I like most of the people at camp, but Merle's feelings are important to me." If Merle truly feels that staying is not an option, Sarah will leave with them.

"Yeah, I know. We should have handled Merle differently." Everything happened so fast that Glenn didn't know what to do.

"He was high. I don't think there was another method to calm him down." Rick had no choice but to handcuff him.

"Don't mean leavin' him behind was right."

"I told you, I dropped the key down a drain." T-Dog speaks up.

"Ya could've used those tools on the handcuffs."

"Daryl has a point." Too bad the only thing Merle could grab was the saw.

"It was nothing but chaos. I didn't even think about using the tools to get him out of there." If only T-Dog spared the time to help Merle instead of running away. T-Dog will regret his decision for the rest of his life.

"Well, you made up for it by chaining up the door." Sarah knows it will take a while for Daryl to forgive T-Dog.

"Don't change nothin', he lost his hand because of ya."

"How was I supposed to know that your dumbass brother would cut off his hand?" No one expected that outcome.

"Both of you, knock it off. What's done is done." Sarah slows down to a walk.

"She's right, you two. We couldn't predict what Merle did. None of us could." Rick slows down next to Sarah.

"Let's just focus on getting back to camp." T-Dog is desperate for some food and sleep.

"Easy for you to say." Glenn can't jog anymore.

"I know, it's easier said than done." Sarah looks ahead to see how much further they need to go.

"Ain't yer fault, it's Merle's."

"Well, next time let's make sure no one can steal our vehicles in the future." Sarah gives Glenn a side glance, hoping he gets her silent message.

"Won't argue with that. I'm sure i'm gonna lose a few pounds with all this running around." T-Dog pants.

"Yeah, I would rather be in shape and able to escape from a bunch of walkers than have a vehicle that could break down on me at the worst possible moment."

"You bring up a good point. My car ran out of gas on my way to Atlanta." Rick says, remembering the gas station he went to had no gas. He was forced to abandon his police car in search for another mode of transportation.

"That explains the horse." Glenn says, remembering the first time he spotted Rick.

"Horse?"

"I stopped by a farmhouse hoping to find a workable vehicle or gas. The residents took the easy way out and left their horse fenced up. Their truck didn't work, so the horse was my only option." Rick explains.

"Jesus." Sarah thinks about to farmers that took their lives.

"What happened to the horse?" Sarah already knows she's not going to like the answer.

"Walkers."

"Oh my god. That's horrible." Sarah gasps.

"It is, but that horse distracted the walkers long enough to allow Rick to hide in that tank." Glenn says.

"You mean the tank where the guns were?" Sarah asks, remembering Glenn mentioning a tank before.

"Yeah, there was tank right next to where I fell off the horse. If it wasn't there, I would be dead right now."

"Out of all things, a tank." Sarah shakes her head in disbelief.

"Oh, it gets better." Glenn looks over at Rick.

"What else?" Sarah wants to know more of Rick's first adventure in Atlanta.

"This guy figured out how to blend in with the walkers." Glenn pats Rick on the shoulder.

"You're joking right? This I need to hear." Sarah eagerly listens to their tale.

"We covered ourselves in walker guts. We weren't even sure it would work, but it did." It was a huge risk, but because they took a chance, they all survived.

"It was gross." T-Dog says, glad he wasn't the one covered in walker guts.

"You weren't the one covered in the stuff." Glenn pouts.

"That's disgusting, but also very clever. Good idea, Rick." Sarah

"Thank you. I'm just glad it worked."

"But it doesn't work if it's raining out." T-Dog remembers watching from the rooftop when Rick and Glenn ran away from the surrounding walkers after a short rainfall washed the blood off them.

"And it smells awful."

"Regardless, it's a clever survival tactic that i'm sure will come in handy from time to time." Sarah hopes she'll never have to try it out, but when push comes to shove or so they say.

"I ain't coverin' myself in that shit."

"Even if it could save your life?" Sarah questions the hunter.

"If I had to." Daryl admits.

"Hey, I don't relish the idea either. But if it saves my life, I will do it."

"It's better than being dead." T-Dog would rather be covered in guts than a walking corpse.

"And becoming a walker." Glenn adds.

"Well, no shit."

"Have you guys ever thought about how all of this started?" Sarah asks.

"The walkers?" Glenn looks over at her.

"Yeah, something has to be causing this."

"I've thought about it. It's hard to come up with a logical explanation that makes them move even though they're dead." There's just no way a person can move after death, yet it happens now.

"You're right, something like this has never happened before." T-Dog agrees.

"Well, a meteor brought an end to the dinosaurs. Maybe this is the extinction of humanity?" Sarah didn't like thinking of it that way, but it is possible.

"I don't even what to think of it that way." Glenn looks a little distrubed by the idea.

"Well, we have an advantage that the dinosaurs didn't have." Sarah says, cheering Glenn up.

"What?"

"We're smart and resourceful. We can fight back and defy our fate."

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Rick praises the brunette.

"Fate has nothin' to do with survival."

"You don't believe in fate?" Sarah believes it was fate that she met Daryl and Merle. It was fate that she met the whole group and that she no longer has to be alone anymore.

"No, I don't. If fate exists, it hasn't been kind to me." Daryl says.

"Well, I believe in fate. Because of fate, I met everyone here."

"Finding you in that tree was just pure luck." It was also funny to see her all in a panic in that tree.

"It was fate." Sarah refuses to back down.

"Luck." Daryl glares at her.

"So you believe in luck, but not fate?" Sarah questions.

"Shut up."

"Oh, you're so cute. You don't want to admit that i'm right." Sarah teases the hunter.

"I said shut up."

"I'm kinda with Sarah on the subject of fate." Glenn agrees with the young woman.

"It's not just fate I believe in." Sarah declares.

"What else?"

"I also believe in karma."

"Now, Karma is somethin' I can work with." Daryl can agree with that at least.

"I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of bad karma floating around." People's true nature is emerging now that the law is dead.

"With the way the world is, I agree with you. People are going to get greedy, but we're not like that." Sarah refuses to become a person that only takes and never gives back.

"Are you refering to the nursing home?" Rick asks.

"You earned some good karma."

"If that karma helps my family, I can accept that."

"It will, Rick, it will." Sarah knows it will.

"Karma ain't gonna make up for the guns we lost." Daryl is still sore about the guns.

"Don't worry, we can always find more." This is america after all. A country of gun lovers.

"We wouldn't have to look for more if we kept all the guns." Daryl argues.

"Daryl, what Rick did was for a good cause. I have no problem with what Rick did." She is glad that Rick is good man with a good heart. No wonder he's a cop.

"They're just a bunch of old people that can't even take a piss without help."

"Daryl!"

"I ain't gonna sugarcoat it. Ya know they won't make it." He will bet his life on it.

"That's not the point." Sarah wants Daryl to understand.

"Then what is?"

"Just because they're old, doesn't mean they won't make it. By giving them those guns, we're giving them a chance to try to survive."

"Everyone deserves a chance. They could have killed me, but didn't." Glenn pitches in.

"Because we had the guns and you were their bargaining chip." T-Dog reminds him.

"They could have killed you guys the moment you brought the guns." Glenn argues.

"You're right, they could've." T-Dog admits defeat.

"It can't be easy, taking care of all those people."

"Worst is that they can't leave." T-Dog feels sorry for the one that can leave, but don't have the heart to do it.

"Yeah, unless they had a bus to move them all."

"Glenn, maybe on your next supply trip to Atlanta, you could check on them?" Sarah thinks that maybe they can form some kind of friendship and help each other out from time to time.

"Since we gave them some guns and proved to not be a threat, they'll be more inviting. Yeah, I can check on them." Glenn dreads going back after his ordeal, but he is the fastest runner and is good at finding supplies. He'll just have to suck it up when it's time to go back.

"It'd be a waste of time."

"Daryl, we're not arguing about this anymore." Sarah didn't want to argue about it anymore.

"Suit yerself, but don't come cryin' to me when ya find 'em all dead."

"I won't." Sarah promises.

"Fine."

"Anyway, it looks like it's gonna take us a while to get back even if we did try to jog the rest of the way." Rick knows that no amount of jogging or even running will get them to camp before it's dark.

"Yeah, it'll be dark by the time we get back to camp." As long as they all get back in one piece, T-Dog didn't care.

"We should keep an eye out for any walkers. We don't want to be taken by surprise." Sarah looks around and sees not one walker nearby.

"Like at the convenience store?" Glenn reminds her of her ordeal during her first trip to Atlanta.

"Did you have to remind me? That was too close for comfort. I thought I was a goner."

"I thought you were bit for a second when I found that walker on top of you." Glenn is glad that wasn't the case.

"It was on top of ya?" The thought of Sarah being in that position frightens him. He remembers overhearing the radio conversation when Glenn mentioned she was attacked. Merle demanded to know if she was bit, which surprised Daryl a little. It occurred to him at that time that Merle was showing a fondness for someone who is not of their blood. It's a rare occurrence.

"Yeah, that knife you gave me saved my life." Sarah touches the hilt of the blade hanging on the side of her hip.

"All ya had was yer gun. Not the best weapon of choice in the city."

"You got that right."

"It's too bad we didn't take the time to look around more. We could have brought back some useful stuff." Glenn says, since their supply trip was cut short last time.

"Ain't the guns enough?" Daryl scoffs.

"You really need to tone down that attitude of yours." Sarah knows Daryl is eager to get back to camp, but his attitude is starting to annoy her.

"And ya need to stop being so optimistic." How a woman can be so optimistic and naive is beyond him.

"I rather be optimistic than hopelessly miserable." Sarah argues.

"I think we're all feeling miserable today." T-Dog pants, trying to match everyone's pace.

"Yeah, we didn't have the easiest day." Rick sighs.

"You're telling me. I didn't expect to be kidnapped and brought to a nursing home when I woke up this morning." Glenn hopes he never has to experience being kidnapped again.

"Despite our hardships, at least we completed half our mission today without losing anybody." Sarah pipes up.

"Ain't gonna argue with that."

"All I wanna do is get back and sleep. All this running around has me tired out." T-Dog says.

"I know how you feel, T-Dog." Sarah too is looking forward to a good night's sleep.

"This heat ain't helpin'." Daryl stops to catch his breath and wipes some sweat from his brow.

"Yeah, it's hot today."

"If we keep taking breaks, it will be nightfall by the time we get back."

"I'm sure Lori and Carl are worried about you, Rick." She would be too if she was in Lori's position.

"Yeah, i'm sure they are."

"I hope Lori doesn't give you hell for being gone too long."

"I'll be fine. I can't blame her for worrying. We weren't supposed to be gone all day." If it weren't for the many detours, they would have been home a while ago.

"Yeah, but i'm sure once you explain to her what happened, she'll understand. What about Shane though? He gave Rick grief just for wanting to save Merle." Sarah really didn't want to deal with Shane when they get back.

"Shane will be happy we got the guns. That should satisfy him enough." Rick says, since that was the only reason Shane was okay with him leaving in the end.

"You know him better than any of us, Rick." Sarah will let Rick handle Shane, because all she wants is to get some sleep.

"We just need to return safely first."Rick says.

"We will, we survived the city, We'll have no problem surviving the road back to camp." There's not one walker in sight and Sarah is happy about it.

"You're right."

"Do you think Merle made it back okay?" Sarah looks at Daryl.

"My brother is tough, he made it." Daryl's more worried about the shape he's in.

"But, what if he didn't?" T-Dog made a good point about Merle crashing the van, but so far they haven't seen the van so he most likely made it back. There's a chance in his state of mind that he took a wrong turn though. Sarah decides to keep this to herself until they get back and see who is right.

"He'll be there."

"Do you think it's even wise for Merle to be there? He's the reason we went to Atlanta in the first place and not many people were happy about it." That's only because no one likes Merle. Merle showing up without the group is bound to cause some trouble for him.

"Sarah's got a point. Shane, Lori, and even Dale gave us grief for leaving." Glenn didn't want to go back neither, but he didn't want Rick to get lost in the city.

"I hope they don't treat him too harshly. That's the last thing he's going to need after such a traumatic event."

"Traumatic event?" Daryl looks at her confused.

"Cutting off his hand, duh." Sarah states the obvious.

"I told ya that Merle is tough."

"Any man would be traumatized after cutting off their hand." Even a man like Merle.

"Yeah, it's not like he can get a new hand." T-Dog states.

"My thoughts exactly, T-Dog."

"Will he be alright without his hand?" Glenn asks.

"I'm guessing he's right-handed?" Sarah looks over to Daryl.

"Ain't most people?"

"Yes, most people are." Sarah has never met anyone left-handed so it must be rare.

"But with Merle's right hand gone, that's going to be a problem." Merle will have to learn how to fire a gun using his left hand now.

"He'll have to learn how to be left-handed."

"My brother's gonna have to learn." He's sure Merle will be fine since he's a stubborn bastard.

"With practice, he'll be able to fire a gun with no trouble."

"It will take time, but he'll learn."

"He ain't gonna be jerkin' off for a while." Daryl says, earning him a look of disgust from Sarah.

"Daryl!" Sarah could do without that knowledge.

"What? It's true." Daryl shrugs.

"I did not need to hear that."

"I don't think any of us needed to know that." T-Dog sighs.

"I thought it was funny." Daryl found Sarah's expression amusing.

"Only Merle would find that comment funny. Too bad he's the victim in this case."

"Imagine if he lost both his hands. That would be a nightmare." T-Dog would hate it if it happened to him.

"I would never head the end of his complaints." Daryl would have to take care of him all the time if that happened.

"He would complain to you about that?" Sarah asks.

"Merle can make an argument out of anythin', even the stupidest things."

"Come to think of it, he does do that sometimes." Sarah chuckles.

"Then ya know what I have to deal with all the time."

"Least you have your brother." Sarah wishes she had hers.

"For now until he does something stupid again." After today, Daryl doubts Merle will be doing anything stupid anytime soon.

"That's not what she means." Glenn picked up on Sarah's mood.

"What?"

"She's saying that you have your brother while she doesn't have hers." Glenn explains.

"Shit." Daryl wasn't thinking when he said it.

"Glenn, it's okay." She wasn't that upset, she just wishes Daryl didn't take his brother for granted.

"No, it's not. A lot of us don't even know what happened to our families." Glenn wonders what happened to his often.

"You're really lucky to have your brother, no all of us are that fortunate. Well, Rick has his family so he got lucky." T-Dog glances at Rick.

"Guys, that's enough."

"I didn't mean to upset you, Sarah." Glenn apologizes.

"It's alright, Glenn."

"You must really miss your brothers, huh?" T-Dog feels sorry for her.

"I do." Sarah confirms.

"What about your parents?"

"I miss them too, of course." Sarah hopes that they're alive and with her brothers.

"I miss my ma too." T-Dog wonders if she's alive.

"I miss my dad's hunting stories." Sarah smiles, remembering.

"My ma's cooking." T-Dog misses his mother's cooking.

"Yeah, nothing can beat a mother's home cooking."

"What your favorite dish?" T-Dog asks.

"My mom makes a mean apple pie."

"Mmm, apple pie." Glenn closes his eyes, imagining having a bite of apple pie.

"I love her tater tot hot-dish too. She learned how to make from a friend who used to live in Minnesota." Sarah recalls her mother telling her that hot-dish is popular up north.

"My ma makes the best spaghetti. She always makes extra meatballs for me because I love them so much." T-Dog remembers coming home from football practice and there would be a big plate of spaghetti waiting for him on the dining table.

"How about you, Rick?" Sarah looks over at the police officer.

"My mom made grilled cheese with ham."

"That's a classic." Sarah laughs.

"Mom would make it for lunch on the weekends."

"Daryl, got any favorite dishes that your mom makes?" Daryl has never mentioned his mother before and Sarah is curious.

"It ain't yer business." Daryl growls.

"Sorry I asked. Just thought you would like to join in the conversation." Sarah shrugs.

"Why are we even talkin' about this bullshit?" Daryl is annoyed with all this pointless chatter.

"Excuse me? Did you seriously call talking about our mothers bullshit?"

"That's low, even for you, Daryl." Glenn shakes his head.

"All I want to do is get back to my brother."

"We will, just having casual conversation on our way there."

"Ya want casual conversation? I'll give ya some casual conversation. How do ya think people are reactin' right now seein' Merle without a hand?"

"I'm sure they're shocked right now. It's not something you see everyday." Sarah's not looking forward to the sight neither.

"If Merle need anything. I'll do my best to provide. It's my fault after all." Rick says.

"Doubt Merle would take ya up on that offer. The only thing he'll want ya to provide is yer death." Daryl scoffs.

"I will not tolerate that, Daryl." Sarah happens to like Rick, even if he is the man that handcuffed Merle to the roof.

"Merle know ya won't."

"Like my feelings matter." Sarah can think of plenty of times where Merle disregarded her feelings.

"Believe it or not, he cares about what ya think."

"Really?" Sarah looks over at him with surprise.

"Ya got his respect and Merle doesn't give respect to just anyone." Daryl would have to agree with Merle. Sarah has earned their respect.

"I'm honored that he thinks highly of me."

"He ain't the only one that feels that way." Daryl hints.

"Do you respect me too, Daryl?"

"Maybe." Daryl shrugs.

"You're such a jerk." Sarah laughs, knowing Daryl won't give a straight answer.

"That ain't nice." Daryl finds himself enjoying his playful argument with Sarah.

"It isn't nice that you maybe respect me."

"Fine, I respect ya then."

"Really?" Sarah knows Daryl is just messing with her, but she didn't mind it.

"Will you two stop flirting? It's weird." T-Dog watches the two playfully argue with each other.

"I ain't flirtin' with her dumbass." Daryl says, looking uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I wouldn't call it flirting." Sarah would call it teasing.

"It very subtle flirting then." T-Dog corrects himself.

"I ain't flirtin'" Daryl glares at T-Dog.

"Knock it off, T-Dog. You're just going to piss Daryl off." Sarah didn't want to deal with a pissed off Daryl right now.

"Fine, i'll keep my opinions to myself." T-Dog sighs.

"That would be wise."

"The sky is getting dark, we're almost at the Quarry." Sarah looks up at the darkening sky.

"We better pick up the pace." Rick jogs a bit faster.

"Now yer speakin' my language."

~TWD~

The rest of the walk back is a quiet one with each member of the group focusing the last of their remaining energy jogging to their destination.

"I hope they left us some leftovers because i'm hungry."

"I doubt it."

"Hey, do you hear that?" Sarah stops jogging to focus her ears on the sound.

Everyone else stops to listen and hear screams and gunshots coming from the direction of the camp.

"Guys, I think we have a problem." Sarah says.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Daryl sprints towards the camp with the others in tow.

~TWD~

When they arrive, it's pure chaos. Walkers have taken over the camp, taking town any unfortunate victim that happens to be within their reach.

"Oh my god." Rick says in horror.

"Go! Go!" T-Dog cries out.

"Where did they all come from?" Sarah asks, looking at the horrid sight before her.

"Sarah! Stop gawkin' and start shootin'!" Daryl yells as he takes down a nearby walker with his shotgun.

"Right!" Sarah snaps out of it and guns down a walker that was heading towards the RV where everyone is taking refuge by.

The remaining campers have taken up arms while the women and children get to safety by the RV. They take the walkers down one by one like clockwork.

"Baby! Carl!" Rick cries out, worried for his family.

"Dad!" Carl runs over to his father.

"Carl!" Rick holds his son close crying while everyone else is on high alert.

Sarah looks around for any more signs of walkers, but find none. Her relief is short lived however when she looks toward the RV and sees Amy's dying body on the ground with her sobbing sister hovering over her.

"Shh shh shh. Oh Amy. I don't know what to do, Amy." Andrea sobs.

Amy weakly reaches up and brushes her bloody finger against Andrea's cheek/ With that gesture, she takes her final breath, closes her eyes one last time, and departs from this world to the next.

"Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Amy. Oh no no. Amy! Amy! Amy!" Andrea wails and shakes Amy's lifeless body, but gets no response.

"Oh my god, Amy." Sarah covers her mouth to hold back her sobs.

"I remember my dream now, why I dug the holes." Jim says.

Shane looks over at the many bodies of what was once a lively bunch of campers as Andrea continues to sob over the sudden death of her little sister.

~TWD~

 **A/N:** I plan to get chapter 11 out sometime in the summer! Isn't that exciting? I'm thinking i'll have season 1 done by chapter 13 or 14 and then on to season 2! In honor of Carl, here's a fun fact about our favorite one-eyed shooter! Don't forget to leave a review, thanks!

 **Fun Facts Time (Carl):** Fact#1: Carl's name originates from 'Charles' which is derived from German meaning 'man'. It is also derived from the common Germanic element which means 'army' or 'warrior'. This could be a reference to Carl growing up as an adult from an early age and becoming a survivor.


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